David G. Schieren, CEO and co-founder of EmPower, strives to make solar energy the dominant energy source in New York and beyond. This vision continues to drive every action the company takes.

David leads a talented team to deliver the best solar and battery technology, the most financial savings and an amazing customer experience.

As an advocate, David conducts outreach to build support for clean energy amongst political, community, business and religious leaders, and the public at large.

David has testified before the United States Congress and has been involved with numerous TV, print, internet, radio and documentary interviews.

David is the Board President of the New York State Solar Energy Industry Association, and also serves on the boards of the Long Island Association and Vision Long Island.

He has a Master of Science in Energy Management from the New York Institute of Technology, where he received the Faculty Award for outstanding achievement.

David co-led the 2005 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon solar-hydrogen zero energy home project.

He has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Vermont, where he received the Freeman Saltus Award in Economics. David was a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Photovoltaic Installer. 

How do you see your business evolving due to the changing times?

With 20 years of experience, I’ve never been this excited. Solar lowers energy costs from day one for $0 down, can charge your electric car for the lowest cost per mile traveled, can be paired with a battery for the most resilient backup power option, and will power highly efficient electric air source heat pumps.

1. Solar, back-up batteries, EVs, and heat pumps can all be used together with time-of-day electric rates to lower overall energy expenditures significantly, increasing savings for homeowners.

The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act provides significant tax incentives to use all of these technologies. LIPA, PSEG-LI and ConEd have additional incentives as well, making solar more affordable than ever before. The solar industry will continue to grow, thrive, and become more widely adopted as the premiere renewable energy for homeowners and businesses alike.

What advice would you give to other business owners?

I recommend that business owners clearly define and communicate their reason for existence, superpowers and goals.

Articulating and communicating this is important for team success and helps with providing top-tier customer service. As an example, for EmPower Solar, our mission is to empower clients with high-performance solar power and battery systems.

Our vision is to create a new energy paradigm powered by clean, renewable energy for a more prosperous, healthy, and civil world. Our approach to business is driven by our desire to deliver the highest quality work, and is guided by our core values we refer to as the EmPowering Way.

This is what has led us to success for the past 20 years, and will continue to drive our business forward.