Maine Clean Energy Week

I am Kristin Rode, I proudly serve as Executive Director of the Northeast Renewable Energy Coalition (NREC) and I am writing this alongside E2Tech’s Executive Director, Orion Breen. We’ve been talking a lot about what would genuinely move the needle for the companies, organizations and people who are passionate about affordable clean energy in Maine. We are excited to bring together a Maine Clean Energy Week that is built around you. 

NREC has now produced seven Clean Energy Weeks across New England. In May, we celebrated our second Rhode Island Clean Energy Week with over 4,500 participants over 5 days! These are weeks where businesses grow. Where relationships turn into contracts. Where the conversation someone had on a Thursday afternoon becomes the partnership that changes the direction of their company. 

Now let us tell you what our vision for what Maine Clean Energy Week looks like with over 40 events across 5 days covering the entire state, September 14 through 18, 2026. 

It opens on Monday, September 14 in Augusta with an invitation-only Kickoff that features twelve keynote speakers drawing local and national media attention. The people shaping Maine's energy policy, economy and future will be in the room. This is the kind of morning where you walk out feeling like the state just shifted, this is the future you want to build.

On Thursday, September 17 Panel Day comes to Portland with five real conversations Maine needs to have. Imagine the candidates running for Governor, U.S. Senate and both Congressional seats in one room before November. We’ll cover where Maine is at on building a transmission line to unlock 1,200 MW of renewable energy, offshore wind, hydropower, storage, building Maine’s clean energy workforce and more. (Click here for the draft list of panels.) Alongside the live streamed panels, the Innovation Showcase, Residential Showcase, Startup Fair and Municipal Vendor Showcase will fill the event with the decision makers, investors, procurement directors and customers who came specifically to find what you offer. (Click here for the exhibitor showcase form.)

Then comes the Closing Gala on Friday, September 18. Picture a cocktail attire evening with dinner stations throughout the room including a chef curated carving station, a full raw bar, a pasta making station and a dessert bar that we will just say now is not the place to start a new diet. Both the Kickoff and the Gala include a plus one. We suggest bringing whoever has been patiently listening to you talk about clean energy at dinner for the past decade. They have earned it. 

The Gala is also where we present awards to the people and organizations doing extraordinary work in Maine's clean energy community. We will be sharing the award categories and finalists with you in the coming weeks and we will just say that the presenters are going to surprise you, in the most wonderful way.

Now back to what matters most. What does your business actually need right now? Who is your ideal customer and where have you been struggling to reach them? What is the challenge sitting on your desk this week that the right connection could solve? Tell us. This week is focused on bringing your ideal clients right to your front door. 

NREC carries a 120 day business guarantee for event sponsors. If you participate and do not walk away with real tangible business growth you get every dollar back. We have produced seven of these events across New England. We have never once had to honor that guarantee. As an E2Tech member you have access to preferred pricing on every opportunity the week offers. (Click here for more information about sponsorships.)

If your company has a facility or a project you are proud of, we would love to feature you in our Company Spotlight Tours. (Click here for the tour application.) Fill it out and send it back to kristin@northeastrec.org. Let us bring Maine's clean energy community to see what you have built. 

We want to hold this event every single year alongside E2Tech because Maine's clean energy sector deserves a permanent home on the calendar. A week the whole industry points to and builds toward. We want September to be the month your team looks forward to all year because it is the one where your business grows and where you remember exactly why you do this work. 

Please reach out to us directly, we genuinely want to hear from you. (Click here to schedule a meeting.)

Kristin Rode Executive Director, Northeast Renewable Energy Coalition kristin@northeastrec.org