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photo by Chris Michel

Arno Harris

 

I spent the last 25 years starting and growing successful businesses in high tech, clean energy and electric mobility. I get up every day excited about solving climate change through the intersection of technology, business and public policy. These days I do that by advising startups and growth companies, helping them to raise capital and achieve scale.

In addition to my advisory work, I serve as an independent director for PG&E (NYSE:PCG), California’s largest investor-owned utility, Origis Energy, a leading solar and energy storage developer with over 1GW in operating assets, and Revolv, a provider of turnkey EV-fleets.

I previously founded Recurrent Energy, one of North America’s largest solar project developers. As CEO & Chair, I grew Recurrent Energy to $1.4B in GAAP revenue, raising over $400M of corporate financing and over $4B of project finance. Recurrent Energy’s projects deliver clean electricity to leading utilities and energy buyers in the U.S., Europe and Canada. I sold the company to Sharp Corporation in 2010 and continued as CEO & Chair until the subsequent sale to Canadian Solar in 2015.

Prior to Recurrent Energy, I was the founder and CEO of Prevalent Power, one of California’s fastest growing commercial solar project developers. The company delivered a number of industry milestones, including what was then the largest corporate solar power system developed for Google’s Silicon Valley campus. Prevalent Power was acquired by Idealab’s Energy Innovations in 2005 and subsequently acquired by Suntech in 2010.

Through my energy work, I have also been active in policy advocacy and government service. I served on and chaired the board of the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) for several years. I also served on the board of Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) and AEE Institute for 5 years. In 2016, I was appointed to the Prop 39 Citizens Oversight Committee by then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris. I served on the Committee for over two years, overseeing $2.5B in California Clean Energy Jobs Act spending to fund energy efficiency improvements to public schools.

I came to energy with a background in high-tech startups. I founded Novo Media Group, an online media and marketing agency that was sold to Publicis. I was part of the launch team for RedEnvelope, an online gifts company that went public in 2003. I ran business and corporate development for Wineshopper, which eventually merged with wine.com. Following the merger, I ran wine.com’s international division and established the company’s European operations through acquisitions in Germany and the UK.

In addition to my professional activities, I am committed to working on issues of inequality and inclusion. I serve on the Leadership Council Tipping Point Community, a grant-making organization focused on poverty alleviation and homelessness in the Bay Area. I previously chaired the Leadership Council and now serve as co-chair of Tipping Point’s housing committee. 

The personal stuff? I’m a graduate of UC Berkeley, a private pilot, cyclist and amateur winemaker. I’m the proud father of four boys and husband to Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, until recently serving in the Newsom administration as California’s first surgeon general.

 

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