On July 3rd, Solar One will be hosting the most unique event of the Summer! This year’s independence weekend celebration will be extra special thanks to Sail250, a NYC river parade of Class B tall ships saluting our community for the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. That’s where Stuyvesant Cove Park comes in! As NYC’s first native plant park, managed by our Solar One team, we will offer the most unique front-row view to this celebration and transform our waterfront into an interactive exploration zone focused on science, sustainability, and healthy park spaces.

This is a moment to highlight that true independence now means energy independence (solar-powered, community-rooted, and just). Solar One’s 20+ years of work building green workforce pipelines and environmental education puts us at the forefront of what’s next.

The juxtaposition of historic ships passing on the East River and Solar One’s solar-powered campus will be a once in a lifetime setting to engage with our NYC neighbors through education pop ups, experiential exhibits, guided park tours, and community storytelling covering climate resilience, urban sustainability, and innovation.

Anchored on the Sail250 celebration, Solar One will showcase how our resilient New York community is future-ready thanks to technology and wisdom-guided social, environmental, and financial sustainability practices.

Please join us on Tuesday, July 14 from 6:00pm – 8:00pm at Tap Room in Patchogue for an evening of conversation and community to learn more about the role Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) can play in building a cleaner, more reliable energy future for Long Island and New York.

Hosted by the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Renewable Energy Long Island, New Yorkers for Clean Power, ACE NY, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, and Citizens Campaign for the Environment, this event will bring together community members, advocates, and energy experts for an accessible conversation about how battery storage supports grid reliability, helps integrate renewable energy onto the grid, reduces reliance on polluting peaker plants, and strengthens local resiliency during periods of high energy demand.

Attendees will also hear from industry and safety experts about how BESS projects are designed, regulated, and safely operated in communities across New York.

Speakers include Paul Rogers, Co-Founder of the Energy Safety Response Group and retired FDNY Lieutenant, and Dr. Jeffery Seidman of Vassar College.

We hope you’ll join us for a beer and an important conversation about the future of clean energy on Long Island. RSVP is required.

Looking to find a weatherization or heat pump partner?

Join a mixer specially designed to bring contractors,
manufacturers and industry professionals together.
Participate in interactive networking activities
Create partnerships that can grow your business and maximize
profitability and customer satisfaction
Engage in conversations, learn and share ideas
Test your skills in fun challenges to win prizes and bragging rights

In 2020 the Public Service Commission launched a Gas Planning Proceeding. The goal: to direct the gas utilities to plan to meet the emissions reductions required by the CLCPA. Good planning is essential to ensure a smooth energy transition, strategically right-size the gas system, insure that the right investments are made at at the appropriate times, and to save ratepayers money. But so far, the gas planning has not yielded the hoped-for outcomes. Now in 2026, there’s an opportunity to reimagine gas planning and make it better. Join our teach-in featuring speakers: Meagan Burton, Earthjustice Kristina Persaud, Advanced Energy United Josh Berman, Sierra Club There will be time for your questions. The teach-in will be recorded.

Get your tickets to the Make It in Brooklyn Renewable Energy Pitch Contest and join us at W.C. Art and IPRC to learn about the future of clean energy. 

Renewable energy technologies are transforming how we power our buildings, move people and goods, modernize infrastructure, and build a more resilient and sustainable economy. Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s Make It in Brooklyn Renewable Energy Pitch Contest brings together innovative startups, founders, investors, and industry professionals to spotlight the technologies shaping the next generation of energy systems. 

Selected founders will pitch to a panel of expert judges, who will evaluate each presentation based on criteria such as innovation, feasibility, market potential, and impact. The winning startup will compete for up to $10,000 in funding and commercialization support to help accelerate their path to market. 

The prize includes: 

A $5,000 unrestricted cash award from Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. 

Up to an additional $5,000 in milestone-based commercialization support through National Grid’s Clean Tech Incubation Program for eligible expenses including prototype development and testing, patent and legal filing expenses, market research, commercialization activities, and pilot implementation support. 

Finalists: 

Accord Power – Develops and deploys solar energy, battery storage, EV charging, and microgrid solutions that help businesses and communities transition to clean, reliable power. 

Etherion Fuels – Produces next-generation renewable fuels from agricultural waste and plant-based feedstocks, creating lower-carbon alternatives for transportation.  

Novara Tech – Develops advanced materials recycling technology that recovers critical minerals from battery waste through a low-temperature process that reduces energy use and emissions. 

Luxergy – Is developing a modular heat engine that converts clean heat from sources such as geothermal, nuclear, concentrated solar, and thermal storage into affordable, dispatchable electricity. 

UrbanEx develops an AI-powered platform that helps utility-scale solar developers identify project risks early, accelerating the development of renewable energy projects. 

Our panel of judges includes: 

Joe Silver, NineDot Energy 

Isabelle Branco-Lo, NYSERDA 

Austin Evarts, Urban Future Labs 

Matt Pfeiffer, Vycarb 

Emcee: 

Farès Kammourieh, Newlab 

Your $5 ticket includes a refreshing drink and the opportunity to meet founders, investors, and industry leaders working at the forefront of renewable energy innovation. 

Register to attend. 

About Make It in Brooklyn 

Make It in Brooklyn is Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s innovation platform supporting startups through pitch competitions, ecosystem-building initiatives, and direct entrepreneurial support programs. Through year-round programming, Make It in Brooklyn connects founders with capital, mentors, customers, and the resources needed to grow and scale their businesses. 

Why Join

Learn about National Grid’s LNG facility, the largest fracked gas site in New York State. See how fossil fuel infrastructure, utility decisions, and pollution affect neighborhoods in North Brooklyn, and explore how communities are building alternatives.

What’s at Stake

• National Grid plans to expand fracked gas infrastructure into the 2050s, ignoring New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
• Toxic facilities like the Greenpoint LNG site sit in the heart of North Brooklyn, next to homes, businesses, and playgrounds.
• Every month, our utility bills pay for this pollution. Without action, we could be locked into decades of climate damage and health risks.
• National Grid has just announced a one-year rate freeze. Governor Hochul knows utility bills are a hot-button issue during an election year. What does this mean for your bills and future increases to pay for fossil fuel infrastructure?

What’s Our Vision

• What would a healthy, accessible access to the 120 acre site look like?
• How can communities shape energy systems to prioritize people and the planet?

How You Can Participate

• Learn the issues and share your perspective on community solutions
• Take action on the upcoming rate case
• Stay connected with Sane Energy Project and partners

• Refreshments will be provided to keep our energy strong and healthy throughout the walk.

Come for the walk, see the toxic site first-hand. Stay for the vision. Leave with the power to act.

Join Sane Energy Project and Public Power NY for an information session on public energy utilities and how they work in New York City. Learn about our energy system from extraction to your bills and how we can change it to make it work for people and the planet.

• Who makes decisions about public energy utilities
• How do they charge you
• What are alternatives to unstable fossil fuels
• How to stop utility rate increases
• How to get involved in fossil fuel free energy advocacy
• What is Public Power
• How could publicly owned renewables change the game in New York State