If you aren’t already familiar with his name from our previous posts on Tesla Motors, affordable electric vehicles, or solar energy, chances are pretty high that you’re familiar with at least one, or more, of the companies he has co-founded over the last two decades. The co-founder of PayPal in 1999, Musk went on to co-found SpaceX in 2002, Tesla Motors in 2003, and SolarCity in 2006. He created, and is chairman of, the Musk Foundation, which, according to Musk’s personal website, “focuses on aerospace, clean energy, science education and pediatric health,” as well as for the X Prize Foundation, which promotes renewable energy technologies.

When it comes to sustainable energy sourcing and usage, Musk is a man on a mission. As CEO and head of product design over at Tesla Motors, Elon Musk oversees strategy at the all-electric car company, working towards manufacturing affordable and high-output electric vehicles for the mainstream market.

As chairman of SolarCity, Musk, “provides strategic direction for the company he conceived to help combat global warming and minimize air pollution.” (1) A national leader in clean energy services, SolarCity is actually the main organization Walmart has partnered with to install solar power systems in stores throughout seven countries, paving the way for other big box companies to follow.

Musk’s plans are to make our reliance on fossil fuels as minimal as possible and his confidence in these plans is contagious. As he shares in a TED talk filmed February 2013, Musk believes that the only mode of transportation that should require these fuels are rockets – which he also has ideas on how to make more sustainable through SpaceX’s endeavours. He goes on to describe Tesla’s plans for making EV’s accessible, including offering free charging and strategically placing convenient EV charging stations.

This type of detailed foresight is what sets Musk and his coworkers apart from the crowd and is what might make it possible for us all to engage in sustainable energy usage. (Make sure to watch the video below to see what we mean by detailed foresight!)

On the future of solar energy, Musk shares, “We have to have sustainable electricity production, as well as consumption. So, I’m quite confident that the primary means of power generation will be solar.” He believes in it – and he acts on it. In December 2013, Musk’s SolarCity launched their Give Power Foundation:

“For every megawatt of residential solar power that SolarCity installs in 2014, the company will bring light to a community by donating a solar power system and battery combination to a school without access to electricity.

Approximately 291 million children attend primary schools that lack electricity globally, and 1.4 billion people around the world do not have access to power.

Through the Give Power Foundation, SolarCity will bring clean energy to communities across the globe, with initial recipients expected to be in Haiti, Mali, Malawi and Nepal.”(2)

They also offer financing, with 0% overhead or down payment costs, for solar installations in homes and businesses. With up to a 20 year lease, Musk and his cohorts are dwindling our excuses for not switching to these renewable energy sources – which, you most likely have gathered, we are fans of.

We feel excited for the future of electricity and energy usage with people like Elon Musk and his team at the helm of exploration. His absolute confidence in what can be done and what can be offered to the public is inspiring to say the least.

Take a listen for yourself:

What do you think of Elon Musk’s initiatives? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter: @signaturemark, or our Facebook page.

Sources:(1) Elonmusk.com (2) Give Power Foundation
Picture from: Entelo