State-of-the-Art EmPower Solar Design Center Opens in Island Park

EmPower Solar celebrated the opening of its first Solar Design Center at Barnum Landing Shopping Center in Island Park, New York earlier this month.  The new Solar Design Center is a place for both residential and commercial clients to meet solar design professionals, learn about the technology, and see the products firsthand.

The Solar Design Center showcases several high technology items, including a 36.5-kilowatt rooftop solar array featuring high efficiency SunPower panels that is expected to meet 100 percent of the center’s energy needs. The solar system also powers four electric vehicle charging stations, which charge EmPower’s fleet of nine electric vehicles. The Solar Design Center will soon be equipped with a battery back-up system for an emergency power supply and peak-load energy shaving.

“Everyone at EmPower Solar is excited to launch this new retail space,” said Chief Executive Officer David Schieren. “EmPower is invested in the South Shore and we are committed to making our communities even more resilient, healthy, and prosperous by using solar energy. This is our home and we’re dedicated to seeing this mission through.”

“We are grateful that such a dynamic company as EmPower Solar has chosen Barnum Landing to be a part of their future growth plans,” said John Vitale, General Partner at Barnum Land Development. “The fact that they are a local company with such a strong commitment to the Island Park community makes it very significant. We welcome their leadership in guiding ourselves and our tenants to be more environmentally aware and energy efficient.”

“The opening of this state-of-the-art Solar Design Center will signify EmPower’s dedication to our South Shore communities as well as the advancement of renewable energy across our township,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray. “Hempstead Town, the home of Long Island’s first and only Renewable Energy Park in Point Lookout, proudly partnered with EmPower on an array of ‘green’ energy initiatives and we congratulate them on this exciting endeavor.”

Legislator Denise Ford – herself an Island Park resident and EmPower Solar client – joined the celebration and presented an honorary Citation. Other attendees included Mayor McGinty, City Manager Schnirman, and Ron Masters, Commissioner of the Town of Hempstead Department of Conservation and Waterways.

In addition to being a showroom for interested homeowners to learn more about solar technology, the center also features office space for the company’s growing staff. Since the company rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy, it has added more than a dozen full-time staff members and plan to add a dozen more by year’s end to keep up with a growing demand for both residential and commercial solar power systems.

The EmPower Solar Design Center is located in the Barnum Landing Shopping Center adjacent to King Kullen and Panera Bread. Store hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Guests who bring a copy of their electric bill for a free consultation during the month of October will also receive a gift.