Energy Innovation and Management

This course explores innovation and managerial, organizational and decision-making aspects in the energy sector for the transition towards a net zero energy system. The course is split in two parts with a quantitative and a qualitative focus, respectively.

In the first part, students will learn about aspects such as the financial valuation of investment decisions and the ways that quantitative energy models of different types can be used to assist with strategic decision-making in the energy sector. Students will be introduced to three types of models: (1) techno-economic analyses of renewable energy generation and storage technologies, (2) planning and simulation of a multi-energy system, and (3) an energy market game, which simulates the behavior of utilities in an electricity market. This part of the course will include individual and group assignments.

In the second part, guided by questions like “how does the energy industry change and why” or “how would you make the decision if you were the head of a utility”, the students will understand how firms manage innovations and why they can be difficult to manage even for established firms in the energy sector. This part of the course will be guided as an interactive case study.

Please contact Dr. Siobhan Powell for further information.