Energy

June 25th, 2020

10 minutes

Can the COVID-19 Crisis Move Forward the Energy Transition?

Is the COVID-19 pandemic an opportunity for us to rethink our current energy system? Jean-Michel Gauthier, professor and Executive Director of the Energy & Finance Chair at HEC Paris, explains the global consequences of the coronavirus and paints a picture of the future of the Energy Transition right here at the heart of the European Union.

Energy & Finance Professor (Education Track)

Finance

Energy

December 12th, 2019

Optimizing Feed-In Tariffs to Boost Renewable Energy Production

Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are crucial tools to increase the adoption of renewable energy technologies. But setting them at the right level (price) is a balancing act. If they are poorly designed, they can backfire, stunting the industry and wasting public money. A duo of HEC researchers, along with a colleague from the University of Texas at Austin, have shown that, to set optimal FIT levels, regulators must take into account the behaviours all players affected, including technology manufacturers.

By Sam Aflaki , Andrea Masini

Energy

October 10th, 2019

How will the attack on Saudi Aramco impact the global oil industry?

The recent attacks on oil facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais took about 5% of the global oil supply and about 70% of the Saudi export potential, out of the market. Why did the attacks fail to affect the global oil industry? Jean-Michel Gauthier, Professor at HEC Paris and Executive Director of the Energy & Finance Chair, shares his views.

Energy & Finance Professor (Education Track)

Finance

Energy

July 09th, 2019

The Rise of Rankings in Global Governance: How Can They Change the Regulation of Large Corporations?

Ratings and rankings have become powerful tools in global governance, frequently used to motivate companies to be good corporate citizens. A wide range of environmental and social matters such as access to medicine, climate change, obesity and working conditions increasingly transcend national borders and escape the reach of national regulators. For such issues, who should set the rules about the responsibilities of corporations? How can corporations that are by definition designed to generate profit, be guided towards making decisions that benefit society as a whole? Afshin Mehrpouya and Rita Samiolo explore the process behind the production of these rankings.

By Afshin Mehrpouya

Energy

June 17th, 2019

How Experimentations Help Innovation Ecosystems Emerge: the Case of the Hydrogen Energy

Major advances in complex technologies require the cooperation of a broad range of parties – a whole business ecosystem. Professors Sihem Ben Mahmoud-Jouini (HEC Paris) and Florence Charue-Duboc (Ecole Polytechnique Paris) studied the case of the nascent hydrogen energy ecosystem to investigate how experimentation contribute to the emergence and consolidation of the ecosystem itself, and the characteristics of such experimentation.

By Sihem Ben Mahmoud-Jouini , Florence Charue-Duboc

Energy

May 27th, 2019

Jean-Michel Gauthier: From the Oil Industry to the Energy Transition

Jean-Michel Gauthier began his career in the oil industry before switching to consulting. Having spent a total of 30 years in international energy, he now shares his expertise by training leaders from all sectors in energy-transition issues. Jean-Michel is affiliate professor in the finance department at HEC Paris, where he holds the Energy & Finance Chair sponsored by Société Générale.

By Jean-Michel Gauthier

Energy

February 25th, 2019

Reinventing Business Education

Editorial by Marc Vanhuele, Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean. We live in a world of constant transformation. The role of research and education at a business school like HEC is to constantly innovate in order to give our students the knowledge, skills and mindset to live and work in a world with opportunities and challenges that may already have shifted by the time they graduate.

By Marc Vanhuele

Business Education Innovation In Depth - vignette

Energy

February 23rd, 2018

The Problem With Renewable Energy Incentives? Some of Them May not Incentivise Renewables…

Sam Aflaki and Serguei Netessine’s new research uncovers a problem with renewable energy incentive policies, such as feed-in tariffs and carbon taxes. Renewables like wind and solar power often depend on carbon costly backups which stunt investment rewards.

By Sam Aflaki

Energy

February 19th, 2018

Turning economic and environmental trade-offs into win-wins

Given the urgent needs of different populations worldwide, economic development tends to be prioritized over climate issues. Short-termism is pitted against medium and long-term goals, economic growth and jobs against the climate. And yet, the horribly irony is that it is often the people living in emerging countries who suffer (and will suffer) the most from climate change. The urgent question is: how can economic development and environmental protection be pursued simultaneously without compromising on either?

By Nora Youcefi

Turning economic and environmental trade-offs into win-wins - @VioNet-AdobeStock

Energy

May 16th, 2017

How Impact Investing Brings Solar Power to Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from a lack of energy infrastructure. Increasingly, those without access to the energy grid are relying on solar power for lighting. As part of her MSc in Sustainability and Social Innovation at HEC Paris, Mónica Moncayo Escobar wrote a dissertation on how these Pay-As-You-Go energy solutions are being financed through impact investments.

HEC Paris student

MSc in Sustainability and Social Innovation