The Planet We Inherit Session - GridHack
The Planet We Inherit: GridHack 2026
Hosted by Citizens for Climate Action and Orivia Tech | DC Climate Week Official Event
📅 April 24, 2026 · 12:00 – 5:00 PM 📍 bwtech North at UMBC · 1450 S. Rolling Road, Baltimore, MD 21227
Schedule
🕛 12:00 PM — Arrive and Check In
Lunch provided
Platform walkthrough
Team setup
🕧 12:30 PM — Opening Remarks
Building data package released to all teams
Special guest appearance by Workflow IO, performing a live Level 2 ASHRAE audit using their sensor-equipped robot on the same building you are competing on
🕧 12:45 PM — Competition Block
3 hours on the clock
Real Montgomery County building
Real data. Real stakes.
🕟 3:45 PM — Team Presentations
5 minutes per team
Judged on accuracy and grant narrative quality
🕓 4:15 PM — THE REVEAL
We open the sealed auditor's findings and compare them to yours
Live. In front of everyone.
🕟 4:30 PM — Winning Team Announcement
First and second place prizes awarded
Fellowship offers extended
🕔 5:00 PM — Networking Reception
Giveaways and more food
Live music
Alycia Guichard, General Counsel for Technology at Verizon, will be in the room
Connections that last past graduation
Prizes
🥇 First place team receives automatic acceptance into the Responsible AI Lighthouse Fellowship — up to $10,000 per fellow, BPI Building Science Principles and Google AI Essentials certifications, a full Industrious Pike and Rose coworking membership for 23 weeks, and a complimentary Maryland Technology Council membership.
🥈 Second place wins $500 cash.
🎓 Every participant receives direct access to apply for the fellowship. Students must be enrolled in a Maryland college or university and be between the ages of 18 and 24 to be eligible.
Who Should Come
Every discipline is welcome. CS, environmental science, policy, design, engineering. No energy experience needed. Bring your laptop.
Open to Maryland college students and high school seniors enrolling in college this fall, ages 18 to 24.
Register free: https://luma.com/ym6q184g
About the Responsible AI Lighthouse Fellowship
The Responsible AI Lighthouse Fellowship is a 23-week paid workforce development program launching July 2026, funded by the Maryland Department of Labor. Fellows train as AI-augmented building energy compliance analysts, working on real Maryland buildings using EcoGuard, Orivia Tech's AI platform. Fellows earn up to $10,000 in stipend, complete BPI Building Science Principles and Google AI Essentials certifications, and work from Industrious Pike and Rose in North Bethesda and bwtech South at UMBC with direct mentorship from industry leaders.
This is not an internship. It is a career launchpad built for the next generation of Maryland's clean energy workforce.
Applications open to Maryland college students and recent graduates ages 18 to 24. Win GridHack and you get automatic placement.
With Gratitude
Thank you to DC Climate Week organizers for including GridHack as an official event and for creating the platform that brings together the people, ideas, and momentum driving climate action forward.
Thank you to the Maryland Department of Labor for funding the Responsible AI Lighthouse Fellowship through the Lighthouse Industries AI Internship Program.
Thank you to bwtech@UMBC for providing the home base for Orivia Tech and for supporting Maryland's next generation of clean energy innovators.
Thank you to Montgomery County Government, specifically the Office of Energy and Sustainability within the Montgomery County Department of General Services and the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, for providing the case study building and data that make this competition real. This event would not exist without your partnership and trust.