Publications

March 2011 (Revised June 2011)
Background Note

Government Policy and Clean-Energy Finance

By: Ramana Nanda, Sanjay Aggarwal and Nilam Ganenthiran

What leads to market failures in finance of clean energy startups? How do different governments approach this issue? View Details

Keywords: Government and Politics; Finance; Policy; Energy Industry

Career Coach

Courtney Fairbrother

for HBS where she was responsible for engaging students, staff, and faculty in sustainability initiatives across the HBS campus. Prior to working at Harvard, Courtney worked in both the private and public sector on renewable energy... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy

Profile

Lauren Burrows

Why was earning your MBA at HBS important to you? I sought my MBA at HBS at a key moment of transition in my career, both in terms of industry focus and position. I was committed to pursuing a career in the energy industry, but wasn’t... View Details

Keywords: Energy / Extractive Minerals; Energy / Extractive Minerals; Energy / Extractive Minerals; Energy / Extractive Minerals

October 2008
Background Note

Note on the Global Wind Industry

By: Richard H. K. Vietor and Juliana Seminerio

This note provides background information on the global wind industry and is meant to accompany HBS cases "The Suzlon Edge" (708-051); "Cape Wind: Offshore Wind Energy in the USA" (708-022); and "Supergrid" (707-016). View Details

Keywords: Renewable Energy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Energy Industry

June 2010 (Revised July 2011)
Case

China Environment Fund: Doing Well by Doing Good

By: Christopher Marquis and Nancy Dai

In early 2010, cleantech investment pioneer Tsing Capital was planning for the China Environment Fund IV and considering how to maintain its commitment to social and environmental practices. Tsing Capital embraced its philosophy of "Doing Well by Doing Good" and... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business Strategy; Balance and Stability; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Energy Conservation; Business Organization; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Venture Capital; Financial Services Industry; China

26 Jan 2018
HBS Seminar

John Helveston, Boston University

November 2012 (Revised December 2017)
Case

TerraPower

By: William A. Sahlman, Ramana Nanda, Joseph B. Lassiter III and James McQuade

John Gilleland, CEO of TerraPower, returned to his office after a lengthy meeting with potential investors. It was October 2012, and TerraPower was in the process of raising a $200M Series C round to finance the ongoing development of its next-generation nuclear... View Details

Keywords: Nuclear Power; Entrepreneurial Finance; Financing and Loans; Venture Capital; Energy Industry; United States; China; India

Career Coach

Betsy Edwards

Betsy (HGSE, '12) is a Corporate Relations Director in HBS Career & Professional Development with over ten years of coaching experience. Her focus is on supporting students and alumni seeking an impact-oriented career primarily in the health care, View Details

Keywords: Education; Fintech; Financial Services (All); Impact Investing; Financial Services (All); Government; Health Care; Social Enterprise

November 2016 (Revised September 2018)
Case

Elon Musk's Big Bets

By: David B. Yoffie, Eric Baldwin and Brandon Kaufmann

Between late 2014 and late 2016, Tesla CEO Elon Musk undertook several major, and risky, initiatives that would dramatically expand the scale and scope of Tesla’s business. In late 2014, Tesla began construction on a $5 billion “gigafactory” that would manufacture... View Details

Career Coach

Craig Husa

CourtLink Corporation (acquired by LexisNexis) and served in the U.S. Navy as a submarine officer. MBA from HBS, BS Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. Currently, Craig is also the Board Chairman of the Clean Tech Alliance and on the Technical... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy

2011
Working Paper

Historical Trajectories and Corporate Competences in Wind Energy

By: Geoffrey Jones and Loubna Bouamane

This working paper surveys the business history of the global wind energy turbine industry between the late nineteenth century and the present day. It examines the long-term prominence of firms headquartered in Denmark, the more fluctuating role of U.S.-based firms,... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Renewable Energy; Competitive Advantage; Technology Adoption; Policy; Business and Government Relations; Energy Industry; United States; Denmark

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Career Coach

Erika Osterling

Erika (HBS '09, ITESM '00) brings 20 years of experience as an operating leader and advisor. She has spent most of her career within Energy & Industrial, with additional roles in Consumer and Retail. Erika's 12+ year career at GE... View Details

Keywords: Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy; Energy

26 Jul 2017
Blog Post

“Uncertainty Makes It More Interesting.”

Born in Monterey, Felipe Delgado (MBA 2018), knows Mexico well. With three years of pre-MBA banking experience, and a stint with a renewable energy startup, Felipe has a firm grip on the “corporate side” as well. But retail products? And... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail

September 2006 (Revised November 2008)
Case

Supergrid

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Supergrid is a mammoth wind-power development scheme for Europe, recently proposed by Airtricity. This firm, founded in 1997, is a fast-growing power-development company focused on wind. Already having built about 600 megawatts of wind turbines in Scotland and Ireland,... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Renewable Energy; Entrepreneurship; Performance Capacity; Business and Government Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Energy Industry; Europe; United States

2012
Working Paper

'Power from Sunshine': A Business History of Solar Energy

By: Geoffrey Jones and Loubna Bouamane

This working paper provides a longitudinal perspective on the business history of solar energy between the nineteenth century and the present day. It covers early attempts to develop solar energy, the use of passive solar in architecture before World War 2, and the... View Details

Keywords: Renewable Energy; Business History; Policy; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Business Model; Energy Industry