Clean Energy in Perspective
Presented by Warren Leon
Adjunct Professor, Brandeis International Business School (IBS)
Clean energy is riding a wave of enthusiasm. Many business leaders, entrepreneurs, climate scientists, politicians, investors, and college students believe it promises strong investment returns, meaningful careers, and solutions to some of the world’s most serious environmental and economic problems.
Although clean energy is likely to have a bright future, will it live up to the more extravagant predictions of its boosters? What are the current reality and future prospects of clean energy businesses in the US and abroad?
This paper provides an introduction to a wide range of clean energy businesses. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the great variation in those businesses, as well as in the economic and public policy contexts that influence clean energy development around the world. It warns against getting caught up in the hype about clean energy, while nevertheless suggesting that clean energy will play an increasingly important role in the global economy in the years to come. But for clean energy to reach its potential, leaders in business and government will need to act strategically and creatively.