Stop the handouts and start investing in cleantech

by Fred Leffler, MBA ’15 This article was written in response to a seminar given by Geoff Styles, energy industry expert and Managing Director, GSW Strategy Group, in an EDGE Seminar on Feb. 4, 2015 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. This article voices one student’s perspective and does not necessarily represent the views […]

Looking into a dark future

by David Mann, MBA ’16 This article was written in response to a seminar given by Brad Kitchens, CEO of ScottMadden, in an EDGE Seminar on Oct. 1, 2014 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. This article voices one student’s perspective and does not necessarily represent the views of either Duke University or ScottMadden. […]

Crossing the chasm for solar: What’s the willingness to pay?

by Adrienne Lalle, MBA ‘15 This article was written in response to a seminar given by Matt Eggers, a senior cleantech executive who has worked at Tesla Motors, Sunrun, and Bloom Energy, in an EDGE Seminar on Sept. 24, 2014 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. What will it take for residential solar technologies […]

Financial implications of distributed resources: Lessons learned from Germany

by Diana Rowe, MEM/MBA ‘16 This article was written in response to a seminar given by Gregory Aliff, Vice Chairman and Senior Partner, Deloitte Energy and Resources practice, in an EDGE Seminar on Apr. 9, 2014 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Utilities, using conventional power generation, have assumed a long-standing responsibility of deploying […]

China’s energy and climate policies: Pragmatic, productive, but ultimately ineffective?

by Urosh Tomovich, MEM/MBA ’15 On March 26, EDGE hosted a Forum on Cleantech in China at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business that featured insights from five panelists about starting, funding, and growing businesses in China. Panelist Tom Darden, CEO and Founder of Cherokee Investment Partners, has been engaged in the Chinese cleantech sector since […]

Exploring China’s cleantech opportunities

On Mar. 26, more than 100 executives and students gathered at Fuqua School of Business to hear about energy and environmental business opportunities in China at the 2014 EDGE Forum on Cleantech in China. “China is a great place to scale up proven cleantech,” said Elle Carberry, managing director of The China Greentech Initiative, who […]

Raising the relative value of waste-to-energy

by Tim McDonald, MBA ’15 This article was written in response to an EDGE Seminar on “The Economics of Waste” on Feb. 26, 2014 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Waste-to-energy (WTE) technology has the potential to minimize air and groundwater pollution by offsetting consumed fossil fuels and landfill use.  A recent report from […]

Utilities can win by entering the distributed solar market

by Omar Arriaga (MBA ’15), Adam Cornelius (MEM ’14), Julia Mote (MBA ’15), and Eric Vandenbrink (MBA ’15) This article was written in response to a seminar given by Allen Burchett, Senior VP for Business Development, ABB North America, in an EDGE Seminar on Feb. 5, 2014 at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Alan […]

China’s smog cloud may have a silver lining

by Dan Vermeer, Executive Director, EDGE Environmental concerns are ubiquitous in China. Every day, the newspapers include stories about the converging crises related to air pollution, food contamination, water shortages, and solid waste. There is also a growing frustration that China’s “growth at all costs” development path has been very costly, sacrificing both the environment […]