Clean Energy Spotlight: Kevin Johnson
“Clean Energy Freedom” is the unifying theme of a growing coalition of military veterans and national security leaders like Army Veteran Kevin Johnson, calling on the Biden Administration and Congress to accelerate our transition to clean energy. Kevin is our latest #CleanEnergySpotlight.
After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Kevin served as a Captain in the Army from 2002-2007. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the 1st Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II.
Kevin’s deployment overseas served as his motivation to dedicate his post-military career to a career in the clean energy sector.
“My tour in Iraq,” he wrote in 2013, “was served in the shadow of seemingly endless oil fires that filled the desert sky as insurgents attacked pipelines at a nearby refinery in an attempt to cripple the country’s economy. At the same time, our own military’s dependence on fossil fuels was placing thousands of my fellow soldiers in harm’s way from simply moving fuel around the battlefield.”
He hasn’t forgotten the image or the vulnerability of oil and gas, and Kevin has devoted his career to the #cleanenergy. In the 14 years since he returned to civilian life, he’s worked in clean energy corporate development, government relations, startups, and growth capital fundraising.
Kevin co-founded CleanCapital, which focuses on the “middle market” of commercial and municipal solar customers. As its chief commercial officer, he led the acquisition of $40MM of operating solar projects.
Kevin serves on the Board of Directors for the Environmental Defense Action Fund and American Resilience Project, which focuses on the intersection of national security and energy security. Kevin also advises innovative companies like Highland Electric Fleets, which is an industry leader in fleet electrification.
After two decades of war in the middle east, thousands of other veterans now in the clean energy sector, like Kevin, uniquely understand the national security implications of our dependence on fossil fuels. Environmental advocates, frontline communities, national security leaders, and organizations like the Climate and Security Advisory Group have similarly made the connection between energy security, national security, and the climate crises.
To disarm that threat here at home, Kevin joins other Veterans like Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) CEO Nat Kreamer as an outspoken advocate on the need for Congress and the President to accelerate the transition to clean energy, increase job opportunities for our nation’s veterans, and to act on climate change. Kevin was recently featured in a new video advertisement, sponsored by #CE4A and [TAG] Climate Power and is working closely with a growing coalition unified around Clean Energy Freedom.
For all his service, sacrifice, and sustained commitment to #cleanenergyfreedom, we thank him, and we recognize him as our latest #cleanenergyspotlight.
