EmPower History

EmPower was founded in 2003 with the intent of EmPowering people to use clean and renewable energy to reduce their energy costs, reduce their environmental impact, and achieve energy independence.  Company operations began in earnest in 2006 after company principles played a leadership role in the New York Institute of Technology / USMMA US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon Project.

David Schieren, one of the founding partners, decided to pursue a graduate degree in 2004 to enhance the company’s technical know-how and energy industry network in the New York region.  When he first began the Energy Management program at NYIT, he joined the school’s US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon team.  

The Solar Decathlon, a project that challenges collegiate teams to build and operate off-grid solar homes on the National Mall in Washington DC for a two week competition, turned into a defining event for EmPower.

Meanwhile Greg Sachs, then teaching electrical and mechanical engineering at the US Merchant Marine Academy, had recently founded the USMMA Alternative Power Program, a program focused directly on the design and operation of integrated solar, wind and hydrogen systems.

David became the Energy Team leader and spent approximately two years in that project leadership capacity, with overall responsibility for engineering and joint responsibility for project management, fundraising, communication and leadership efforts. 

Ultimately David and Greg met and quickly teamed up to execute on this project. Greg became the project's Chief Engineer and was responsible for engineering, installation and operation of the unique solar-hydrogen-fuel cell power plant.   


The project was a major success.  The NYIT/USMMA team placed 5th out of 18 teams, which was exceptional considering that it was the only solar-hydrogen fuel cell system.  It also provided a potent outreach and education platform for renewable energy both in New York and in Washington, D.C.

For EmPower, the project helped to crystallize its business focus.  Through the decathlon, David and Greg learned the capabilities of solar energy, especially when paired with efficient and sustainable building technologies.  They also learned that while hydrogen has great potential, it would not be a viable energy storage technology for commercial applications in the near-term because of cost and durability issues.  It’s important to note that David and Greg were also introduced to fueling electric vehicles with solar in the project because of the “getting around” contest that required each team to charge electric vehicles from the homes.  They also learned critical lessons about team building and leadership.

After the Solar Decathlon and earning his MS, David returned to running EmPower full-time in the fall of 2006 and the company organized its business model around becoming a leading solar energy integrator that would design and install solar power systems.  Greg joined EmPower in 2007, and by 2008 the company was well on its way to becoming a leading regional solar provider.