Energy

Large-scale deployment of renewable energies has so far been concentrated in Europe and in the US, but that is changing. Take wind energy, solar PV and CSP (Concentrated Solar Power), for instance: 44%, 35% and 23%, respectively, of new capacity for the next 5 years will be deployed in emerging markets (Exhibit 1). For North American and European companies that have so far focused on domestic markets, emerging markets can thus represent an opportunity for additional revenue, but also a risk for increased costs and diluted market focus. In this article we explore six suggestions to develop and implement a sensible market entry strategy for emerging markets.

The global onshore wind sector is expected to grow 19% per year till 2015. Not as much as it has grown in the past (28% per year from 2006 to 2011) but still very respectful for a sector that is rapidly approaching market maturity (Exhibit 1). One of the key drivers fueling this growth is LCoE (Levelized Cost of Energy) reduction, either by improving efficiency or by decreasing costs. Concrete towers do not contribute to the former, but can contribute to the latter. Read on.

Simple actions like switching off the lights or turning down the thermostat can lead to substantial savings: studies suggest that behavioral change alone, without any technology update, can result in 5 to 20% carbon emissions savings. The human mind is however far more complex than any machine, and meaningful behavioral changes in this area have proven difficult.

Productization, or turning services into products, has been a big trend among professional services companies, and for good reason: clients get a more tangible offer and companies get to systematize and reuse their previous work. But what about making an actual, physical product? We did it, and maybe you should too. Read on.

If you read the reports from major energy agencies and industry associations, you might be tempted to conclude there is a bright future where all types of renewable energies will flourish and coexist peacefully. Well, they will not. Much like in any other sector, some technologies will trump others. In this two-part article, we analyze how solar photovoltaic (PV) is beating concentrated solar power (CSP), and how offshore wind is doing the same to wave energy.

If you read the reports from major energy agencies and industry associations, you might be tempted to conclude there is a bright future where all types of renewable energies will flourish and coexist peacefully. Well, they will not. Much like in any other sector, some technologies will trump others. In this two-part article, we analyze how solar photovoltaic (PV) is beating concentrated solar power (CSP), and how offshore wind is doing the same to wave energy.