Jun 15, 2021

Jun 15, 2021

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LISTEN ON

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DURATION

0:38

0:38

0:38

Andy Karsner

Andy Karsner

Andy Karsner

Andy Karsner

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Clean Energy Yoda

Clean Energy Yoda

Clean Energy Yoda

Clean Energy Yoda

Clean energy “Yoda” Andy Karsner oversaw billions of dollars in wind projects in the early 2000s, and then billions more in government investment to kickstart the US wind and solar boom.

Clean energy “Yoda” Andy Karsner oversaw billions of dollars in wind projects in the early 2000s, and then billions more in government investment to kickstart the US wind and solar boom.

Clean energy “Yoda” Andy Karsner oversaw billions of dollars in wind projects in the early 2000s, and then billions more in government investment to kickstart the US wind and solar boom.

Clean energy “Yoda” Andy Karsner oversaw billions of dollars in wind projects in the early 2000s, and then billions more in government investment to kickstart the US wind and solar boom.

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Today, Andy Karsner is a Senior Strategist & Space Cowboy at Alphabet’s X and a newly elected activist board member of ExxonMobil. Andy sat down with Emily Kirsch to discuss his early days in renewables and the new challenges that entrepreneurs face today.

Andy began his career developing large-scale energy infrastructure and has led or contributed to project development, management and finance on six continents. From 2005 to 2008, he served as US Assistant Secretary of Energy. As a private equity investor, venture partner, and advisor, his portfolios have included Nest and Tesla. Andy is a Senior Strategist at X (formerly Google X), former Managing Partner at Emerson Collective, and Co-Founder of Elemental Excelerator. He holds a BA with honors from Rice University and an MA from Hong Kong University.

“Whether by design or by default, we are going to move into the future with an amount of innovation that overwhelms incumbency.”


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© 2025 Powerhouse Innovation. All rights reserved.