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2026-10-06
Five intense days, dozens of meetings and events, and one clear conclusion: many of the energy and climate challenges we are addressing in Lithuania are just as relevant on the other side of the Atlantic.
In September, Cleantech Lithuania, together with the Innovation Agency and the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York, organized an energy resilience business mission during Climate Week NYC 2026.
Bringing together Lithuanian companies, research organizations, and public sector representatives, the mission was about more than just participating in one of the most important international climate and energy weeks. Its goal was to showcase Lithuania's expertise in the US market, gain a better understanding of the local innovation ecosystem, build new connections, and explore opportunities for international cooperation.
The Lithuanian delegation included members of Cleantech Lithuania: "Inion LT", "Inobiostar", "Pack’n GREEN", "Inbalance", "Ignitis Group", VILNIUS TECH, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) and Kaunas University of Technology.
We began our mission at the Presidential Business Forum, where representatives from Lithuanian and U.S. energy and technology companies, investors, and government officials discussed energy supply, infrastructure, and investment issues. Opening the forum, President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda emphasized the importance of transatlantic cooperation for energy security and technological development.
Discussions on energy security focused heavily on infrastructure modernization and regional cooperation. Participants exploring advanced technologies discussed resilient energy systems, electromobility, and solutions needed for changing energy demands. These topics were linked by two objectives: ensuring reliable supply today and adapting infrastructure for future needs.
A concrete agreement between Lithuanian and U.S. energy companies was also signed at the forum: Ignitis and EQT Corporation entered into a long-term liquefied natural gas supply contract. Alongside discussions on new technologies, this served as a practical example of cross-border energy cooperation.
In New York, buildings account for more than two-thirds of the city's greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, building retrofitting is both a climate policy issue and a daily matter of real estate management. Under Local Law 97, most of the city's large buildings have been subject to emission limits since 2024, which will become stricter in 2030. Owners must decide which systems to replace, when to undertake the work, and how to plan their investments.
Building Energy Exchange (BE-Ex), which the delegation visited, helps answer these questions in a practical way. The organization provides training for building owners, managers, and designers, demonstrates energy efficiency technologies, and publishes analyses of completed projects.
Developed with partners, the "Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings" helps create a building renovation plan by evaluating both technical solutions and their financial viability. It is recommended to align the work with standard building maintenance cycles, such as replacing worn-out equipment or repairing facades. This way, reducing energy consumption and emissions becomes part of long-term building management rather than a separate project undertaken only as deadlines approach.
The city's economic development organization New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is also adapting historical infrastructure for climate technologies. The "BATWorks" center is being developed at the former military supply complex, the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Plans presented to the delegation indicate an opening in 2029, though events and technology testing programs are already taking place in temporary spaces. The center is designed to bring together technology developers, business growth programs, and professional training initiatives.
One such program, "Pilots at BAT"provides companies with access to real-world infrastructure where they can test their solutions in an urban environment. The support goes beyond just providing a testing site: companies receive assistance with navigating permits, as well as installing and dismantling technologies. Their projects are showcased to potential clients, public procurement officials, and investors, with results documented in public project analyses. In this way, a trial can serve as both a proof of concept and a foundation for discussions with future customers.
NYCEDC also introduced a pilot project for a circular construction center at the "MADE Bush Terminal" site. In collaboration with "Our Temenos," they are testing how to create a local supply chain for reused construction materials. The team helps identify suitable wood, metal, or stone, and organizes their dismantling, transport, storage, and reuse in subsequent projects. For a material to avoid becoming waste, it is not enough to know it can be reused; one must manage its entire journey to the next construction site.
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Working on the deployment of existing technologies is The Clean Fightwhose team we met at the Consulate General of Lithuania. This accelerator helps companies find clients, project developers, and financing partners, while also navigating the regulatory requirements of New York State. Its "Energy Storage: Deploy Now" program focuses on energy storage solutions that can be implemented in the near term. The evaluation process considers not only the technology's performance but also its suitability for densely built environments, safety certifications, ease of installation, and economic viability.
International companies may also be interested in the "International Landing Pad Network"presented by NYCEDC, with The Clean Fight as one of its partners. This initiative provides workspace, personalized business development support, connections to clients and financiers, and mentor consultations. It is designed to assist companies that already have a product but are just beginning to build their local network and operational foundation in New York.
Practical experience in building and expanding a business in the U.S. was shared by Dextall founder and CEO Aurimas Sabulis. At the Consulate General of Lithuania, he explained how business operates in the U.S. and answered questions from delegation members. The conversation focused less on the company's specific technologies and more on insights relevant to other businesses planning to enter this market.
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Each company went on the mission with different goals, yet several common themes emerged in their feedback.
Inbalance Grid representatives found that their conversations in New York once again highlighted that limited electrical grid capacity is becoming a universal challenge.
As electrification accelerates in both Europe and the US, the question of how much energy existing infrastructure can handle and how grid capacity can be managed more intelligently is becoming increasingly important. The mission also helped the company better understand the scale of the US market and potential paths for further international expansion.
Inion Software one of the most important insights was the specifics of the US market.
Technical standards, communication protocols, regulations, and customer expectations can differ significantly from those in Europe. Therefore, the mission provided an opportunity not only to make new contacts in North America but also to better understand what technology companies need to adapt when entering a new market.
Pack’n GREEN spent a week in New York getting to know the US sustainability and circular economy ecosystem and discussing potential areas for cooperation in the field of sustainable fiber packaging materials.
The company's experience once again demonstrated the value of face-to-face international meetings. They allow for moving from an initial introduction to more concrete discussions about product development, market adaptation, and potential forms of collaboration.
Inobiostar the mission contributed to the international development of the InnoAerogel® technology and helped expand the company's network of contacts among business, investment, academic, and public sector representatives. The company particularly emphasized the opportunity to better understand the US market and what is needed to further develop climate technology solutions there.
Although each company's goals differed, the mission helped everyone better understand the US market and establish new international contacts.
The Cleantech Lithuania team also participated in The Nest Campus and The Hub Live events, which focused heavily on the growing electricity demand of data centers, grid capacity, and the faster deployment of energy technologies.
Our companies are already creating solutions in areas of growing importance: grid flexibility, energy management, e-mobility, circular materials, advanced technologies, and resilient infrastructure.
Such business missions help companies assess the relevance of their solutions in new markets, better understand what is truly required for international expansion, and build connections that would be much more difficult to establish from Lithuania.
The trip to New York has come to an end, but the conversations that began there continue. The next priority is to leverage the knowledge gained, the connections made, and the opportunities that opened up during the week, turning them into new partnerships, projects, and avenues for international growth.
A big thank you to Innovation Agency Lithuania, the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania in New York, the entire Lithuanian delegation, and the members of Cleantech Lithuania, who represented the Lithuanian cleantech ecosystem in New York throughout the week.
