Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

AWESome EarthKind


Mar 22, 2021

Quantum Quote:  “A quadrupling of clean energy activity is what we need - and where we’re headed.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Clean energy is the answer to our environmental crises and is the key to unlocking a healthy and clean future. But, it is somewhat still inaccessible to different countries across the world. 

 

How can clean energy bring about a prosperous economy despite the drawbacks of the pandemic?

 

How can clean energy give us the potential as individuals, as a country, and as a civilization?

 

Listen to today’s episode and get to know how we can do it all! Danny sees a bright future with clean energy ditching fossil fuels and benefiting everyone in our homes, jobs and communities. Hear about the incredible economic potential in doing the most important work in world history.

 

Danny Kennedy is the CEO of New Energy Nexus, a non-profit which connects entrepreneurs everywhere with capital to build an abundant clean energy economy that benefits all. Kennedy also co-founded Sungevity in 2007, the fifth-largest distributed solar installer in the United States. He 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.

 

His journey into clean energy started back in the 20th century. He started his solar company in 2007 and has been involved with a number of additional startups, including the solar financing company Mosaic. He sees clean energy as the answer to the extreme climate crisis, and a huge opportunity in uplifting potential for communities everywhere, with job creation, wealth creation, and leadership opportunities for everyone.

 

SuperNova #1. “Be aware that the world is changing much more rapidly than we realize in terms of the commanding heights of the economy.” - Danny Kennedy

 

SuperNova #2. “For the entrepreneur, pick your path in this amazing clean energy opportunity and find a niche, because that niche is going to become very big. Every day, get up and execute against that opportunity. Do the work. The balls in your court. Stay focused, my friend, and you'll do fine.” - Danny Kennedy

 

SuperNova#3. “You just always have to stay focused on your goals and your business and doing the next thing and the next thing. It's many days of work that make a great week and month, and it's many weeks and months of great and hard work that make for a successful year in a business -  and a career and professional life.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Aha! Moment: “The “Aha!” that caused me to jump ship from my previous career to start my own company was when Google Earth first came out - circa 2006. For the first time, you could look at the world from the satellite images that they were stitching together. And it was, “Wow, that's amazing!” My “Aha!” with a mate was sitting around drinking beer here in Australia, saying, “Seeing this Google Earth thing, isn't it cool? Wonder if we could do the design and engineering phase of the solar sales process online.” Sure enough, we found a software guru that did all the maths and whatever trigonometry was required - and we created remote solar sizing.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Worst Energy Moment: “There were moments where we were running right up against it on payroll back in the twenty-teens. A fast-growing solar company stretching itself. Anxious nights lying awake worrying about the people, the team that we built, and all that sort of stuff. In those moments you realize it can always get worse, it could come off the tracks - so just keep focused and do what you need to do.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Best Advice He’s Ever Received: “To marry my now wife.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Personal Habits that Contribute to Success: “I am a big early riser. I believe that getting up and going hard is a good way to get things done.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Internet Resources: newenergynexus.com  www.thecleanfight.com  

 

Book Recommendation: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

 

Magic Wand: “Social media. I would get them off the drip of dopamine responsiveness and let them get information at a high level. Technology is wonderful when it allows us to share across borders, instantaneously and all that good stuff. But we need to do it without the advertising addiction that has actually created so much distress and depression and despoiled our democracies and all the rest of it.” - Danny Kennedy

 

WTF or F: “You know, I'm an Australian Californian, so fire season comes to mind just in the last couple of years. I mean, having seen it on both sides of the Pacific, it's kind of tragic. I also worked in the Pacific in the 2000 era, and there was a Cyclone that swept through some small islands 1000 miles north of New Zealand. It was 150% wind speeds of anything previously recorded, and a huge storm surge and his frightening supercharged force of nature.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Most Energized about Today: ‘I am most energized about the opportunity in Indonesia. I know that sounds obscure, but you know, think about that huge country, which is about the size of the United States in population, and has had almost no solar today.” - Danny Kennedy

 

Parting Advice: “Get involved in this economic opportunity. It's also the most important work we can do ever in history. This decade decides the fate of civilization. I'm not a doomsayer. I don't believe it's the end of the world. I think we have a world without an end here. But a millennium from now, we will look back at the start of the 21st century as humans and say, "What the hell were they doing?" Or "Thank God, they did that." 

- Danny Kennedy

 

Connect: