Renewable energy has become an increasingly important topic in today’s society, as we strive to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and move towards more sustainable forms of energy production. As a result, entrepreneurship in the field of renewable energy has become a promising area of interest for many.
In order to address this growing demand for renewable energy entrepreneurship education, the partner institutions have developed an innovative new course that seeks to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in this field.
The contents of this course show a multidisciplinary approach to renewable energy entrepreneurship, drawing on a range of disciplines such as engineering, business, and environmental science. This allows students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues involved in renewable energy entrepreneurship and develop a broad range of skills.
The course places a strong emphasis on innovation, encouraging students to think creatively and develop innovative solutions to the challenges facing the renewable energy industry. Through a variety of lessons, activities and simulating the creation of a sustainable project, students learn how to identify opportunities for innovation and develop new products and services that meet the needs of the market.
In addition, the contents encourage collaboration between students from different disciplines and backgrounds, fostering a rich and diverse learning environment. This allows students to learn from each other, share ideas, and develop valuable networks that will benefit them in their future careers.
The course content is divided into four different modules that address both the technical vision of sustainable energy and the creation and validation of business models.
The first module is called “Renewable Energy Systems” and contains an introduction to the concept of sustainability and the 2030 agenda of the United Nations for Sustainable Development, an action plan in favor of people and the planet in which the 17 sustainable development goals are included. In this module students will also acquire the knowledge necessary to understand the main innovations in the energy sector and the process of the energy transition to sustainable sources.
The second module is “Entrepreneurial ecosystem” and focuses on the concept of open innovation to foster creativity in the energy sector. In addition, the concept of ecosystem serves to explain the actors involved in the development of companies at local, national and international levels. Finally, the contents show the life cycle of the startup from the first phases in which the entrepreneur builds a team to turn an idea into reality.
Entrepreneurs will understand the concept of startup, as a temporary organization designed to find a profitable and scalable business model, by creating new products and services under conditions of great uncertainty.
The third module is “Business modelling” and its contents have been designed for students to learn how to turn business ideas into successful business models. Once an entrepreneur has understood the opportunities of the energy sector and the transition to sustainability, it is time to define the key elements of a business model. A business model theoretically describes how a company creates, distributes, and captures value.
The key elements that the student will understand thanks to this module are market segments, value proposition, channels, key resources, key activities, key partners, revenue streams and cost structure. As an innovation, this module also includes a card game for sustainable business modelling.
As eight out of ten startups fail in their first year, the module also contains an explanation of the main barriers for developing business modules.
Business models can be successful even when they do not have a positive climate impact. However, the world requires new sustainable business models. Thanks to this third module, students will also acquire notions of eco-design through life cycle assessment and the measurement of mitigation and capture of carbon emissions.
Startups must define plans to validate the assumptions of their business models. Although failures are almost always inevitable, if they occur quickly and cheaply, startups learn to pivot and will be closer to success.
The third module is completed with tips to interact with investors (one page and the elevator pitch technique) and tools to carry out a marketing strategy.
The fourth module is “Business model innovation and ecosystems in renewable energy”. This module is completely practical and based on learning-by-doing. It allows students to apply their learning in a real-world context and develop valuable skills that they can use in their future careers.
In this last module, students will define a business model that responds to the needs of the energy sector. In addition, they will define a validation plan and a roadmap for the implementation of their innovation. Finally, they will measure and improve the climate impact of the business they have defined.
The contents of this course have been designed by top-notch universities in energy innovation and entrepreneurship in collaboration with industry experts and leaders in the renewable energy sector. This ensures that the course content is up-to-date, relevant, and reflects the current state of the industry.
Through guest lectures and industry partnerships, students have the opportunity to learn from and engage with professionals in the field.
In conclusion, the innovative contents in renewable energy entrepreneurship provides students with a unique and comprehensive learning experience that equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in this exciting and rapidly growing field.