Ep 109: Danny Kennedy, CEO of New Energy Nexus
Today's guest is Danny Kennedy, CEO of New Energy Nexus. Danny is a clean energy veteran, who has worked in environmental advocacy, solar entrepreneurship and in the public sector. The nonprofit he leads, New Energy Nexus, is an organization that connects entrepreneurs globally with capital for the purpose of building an abundant clean energy economy. Danny has also served as the managing director of the California Clean Energy Fund (an early-investor in Tesla), which includes overseeing the $25 million Cal Seed Fund. He's an advisor to young green tech entrepreneurs in China with the Asia Society as well as the president of Cal Charge, a public private partnership working to advance energy storage. In 2007, he cofounded Sungevity, which worked on remote solar design. We have a great discussion in this episode, covering a wide range of topics including Danny's background and experience, what led him to become an activist, his interest in climate change and how that interest has manifested over the years. In addition, we touch on how his views on the problem have evolved and also where he's spending his portfolio of time today. Enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Inevitable · Danny Kennedy, Jason Jacobs
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Show Notes
Today's guest is Danny Kennedy, CEO of New Energy Nexus.
We have a great discussion in this episode, covering a wide range of topics including Danny's background and experience, what led him to become an activist, his interest in climate change and how that interest has manifested over the years. In addition, we touch on how his views on the problem have evolved and also where he's spending his portfolio of time today. Enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- How Oakland, CA has become the clean tech capital of the Bay Area
- Danny’s work as an activist and entrepreneur to address climate change
- How addressing climate change requires a war effort
- How renewable energy presents not only a climate opportunity but also a much-needed employment opportunity
- How Danny got into climate work and his underlying motivation
- Danny’s journey into solar and founding his first startup
- How the problem of climate change has evolved since Danny began his work
- How clean tech and U.S. leadership in the movement represents a huge economic opportunity
- How grassroots entrepreneurship is making up for an absence of government action
- What government leadership to address climate change would need to look like
- How the government-command of industry priorities to respond to COVID-19 is emblematic for what is required to address climate change
- What the viable renewable energy mix for the future looks like
- How Danny would address the main contributing sectors to GHG emissions
- How effort needs to be focused on Africa and Asia, which will be the long-term contributors to carbon
- How financial and software engineering are ripe areas of innovation
- What is New Energy Nexus (NEN) and its mission
- How NEN’s Clean Energy Fund invested in Tesla and other clean tech companies
- How the “puck” of opportunity and innovation is headed to Asia
- NEN’s clean energy accelerator in Indonesia
- How Danny thought about incorporating NEN as a non-profit vs. for-profit model
- Danny’s role in co-founding Oakland-based incubator, Powerhouse
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
- New Energy Nexus: https://www.newenergynexus.com/about/
- California Carbon-Free By 2045 Goal: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/business/energy-environment/california-clean-energy.html
- kWh Analytics: https://www.kwhanalytics.com/
- California Clean Energy Fund: http://www.calcef.org/
- Bridge Lux: https://www.bridgelux.com/
- Powerhouse: https://www.powerhouse.fund/
Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant