Echo Chamber Executive Q&A: Edwin Luevanos, Citizen Energy & Avanza EV

Today we’re featuring Edwin Luevanos, co-founder and chief executive officer of Citizen Energy and Avanza EV.

Know someone who should be featured? Email us: info@echocomms.com.

About Edwin: He is a serial social entrepenueur, having started private companies in clean energy tech, finance, and project development. Edwin is currently the CEO of Citizen Energy and Avanza EV, a recent initiative focused on accelerating clean energy adoption in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the U.S. Edwin also spearheaded the acquisition and joint venture of GLP LED, a subsidiary focused on energy efficiency and LED lighting distribution and installation.

Before founding Citizen Energy, Edwin served at the U.S. Department of Energy where he worked in the areas of energy savings performance contracting, energy demand management, green procurement, public engagement, and workforce development. During the 2009 Recovery Act, Edwin had the unique opportunity to support the White House and Obama administration in implementing outreach strategies for over $75 billion in clean energy investments.

A longtime advocate for environmental equity and Latino youth leadership, Edwin remains active in several nonprofit initiatives. He holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno, and a master’s in business from Boston University. Edwin is the proud son of immigrants from Mexico.

We recently spoke with Edwin:

How did you get into the clean energy world and end up starting Citizen Energy?

Edwin Luevanos: I actually stumbled into it. When I was in college, I landed an internship at the Department of Energy—though I’ll admit, at the time, I didn’t even know the DOE existed. I wasn’t focused on energy or the environment then. What I cared about was social justice—supporting my community, immigration issues, and making a difference.

But that summer in 2003, everything shifted. I quickly saw how energy and environmental issues deeply affect our communities, and I got hooked. After graduating, I came back to DOE as a federal employee. I met some incredible people, and during the Obama administration, I had the opportunity to support some exciting programs. That’s when I really saw the potential of combining government dollars and private capital to deploy clean energy infrastructure. It inspired me.

Not long after, one of my good friends started a clean energy consulting firm. He invited me to join, and I knew this was my chance. That was the beginning of Citizen Energy.

In the early years, we focused on commercial clients—real estate owners who could afford energy efficiency retrofits and solar. But I’ll be honest, I missed the community work. That’s why I got into this in the first place. For several years, I felt like I’d stepped away from that mission.

Then the Biden administration came in and made equity and access central to clean energy policy. That changed everything. Suddenly, there was an opening to serve the very communities I care about—low-income, underserved, and Latino communities. That brought everything full circle. I got into this to serve my community, and now I get to do that every day through energy and environmental work.

 Given how the current administration views even the core mission of this work, how are you adapting—and how are you continuing to move your mission forward?

EL: Particularly in our target communities, to make the kind of impact we’re aiming for, we need significant capital. And with the federal government stepping back, our biggest focus now is sourcing that capital from other places—private investors, foundations, and increasingly, from state governments. That’s where we see both the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity.

So we’ve made that shift, and to be honest, it hasn’t been as tough as I initially expected. Of course, we’ll have to see how things evolve over the next couple of years—especially as the markets for renewables, EVs and other clean energy technology adjust to new realities. But for now, we’re staying focused, and I’m cautiously optimistic.

 Is there one message you’d like to convey to policymakers right now?

EL: I’d say this—if federal grants aren’t an option and the focus is shifting to private-sector-driven solutions, then at the very least, they need to do what previous Republican administrations have done and has worked; preserving clean energy tax credits. They help catalyze exactly what many Republicans say they want: the private sector taking the lead in driving energy infrastructure deployment.

These credits are creating jobs, helping families save money, and delivering real benefits—especially in communities that need it most. For many, this isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Energy demand can’t be met with just fossil fuels, costs are rising, and without renewables in the mix, prices will only go higher. We’re already starting to see it happen.

 What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

EL: Investing my own personal money into clean energy projects. Our investors typically require the project sponsor to contribute some of their own capital, and for me, that’s meant tapping into my life savings and home equity to provide the sponsor equity needed to get a project off the ground.

The risk is real—these are projects in communities where very few are investing and financial returns can fluctuate. There’s opportunity, yes, but also a reason for the hesitation. For example, we’ve taken on $10 million projects to install EV chargers in low-income, multifamily housing communities—places where, at the time, no one owned an electric vehicle. Compare that to affluent communities in California, where many people own an EV, and the contrast is clear. We’re deploying clean energy infrastructure where the need is future-focused and speculative. That’s a huge financial risk—and we’re talking significant amounts of my own money is on the line.

Another big risk was leaving federal government. I had a secure six-figure salary, and I walked away from that to join a clean energy startup. In our first year, I think I made $11,000. My daughter was just a toddler at that time and I had to supplement my income by playing music gigs. It was a leap of faith. But I believed in the mission, and I still do.

 What’s something about you that might surprise people?

EL: When people think about clean energy project development and finance, they usually picture something pretty technical—maybe even a little nerdy. They sometimes don’t expect a CEO who is Latino, plays Latin music, fully bilingual, and deeply connected to his culture. That tends to surprise people.

Some folks only know me through music, and when they find out I work in clean energy, they’re like, “Wait—you have a day job?” And on the flip side, people who know me from the energy world are surprised to hear I play music. They’re like, “Wait, you’re cool?” It always catches people off guard, but I think it speaks to something bigger.

This is about what America is and what it should be. For too long, leadership in sectors like energy has looked a certain way—white, male, and from a narrow background. But that’s changing. And I think my story reflects where we’re going as a country: more diverse, more representative, and stronger for it—if we can embrace it and move forward together.

Know someone who should be featured? Email us: info@echocomms.com. 

Check out our recent conversations:

• Congressman Mike Levin, Representative from California’s 49th Congressional District
• Caroline Spears, Founder & Executive Director, Climate Cabinet
• Steph Speirs, Clean Energy Entrepreneur
• David Schutt, Executive Director, U.S. House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC)
• Eva Hernandez, Executive Director, Mosaic
• Bryant Jones, Executive Director, Geothermal Rising
• Sam Evans-Brown, Executive Director, Clean Energy New Hampshire
• Matt Traldi, Founder & CEO, Greenlight America
• Laura Zapata, CEO & Co-Founder, Clearloop