Congratulations Team Clean Slate!
Congratulations to Saurabh Ashok Mhatre, Dito Putra, Janet Fang, Natthapol Jinavanich (NJ), and Ishita Singh (pictured from left to right) for placing in the top 5 at the Rice Cleantech Innovation Competition on November 14. They were competing against 34 teams from leading universities across the U.S. and presented “Vehicle to Grid (V2G) Framework for California: Supporting the Grid Infrastructure by Empowering EV Owners.” to a panel of 25 judges. We are are proud of you for this great accomplishment!
The Business of Energy in the 21st Century Course
This course is designed to introduce foundational economics of the energy sector and the emerging technologies and business models that are most promising in the longer term. Energy is a necessity to all life-forms and ecosystems. Access to affordable and readily available energy has been a cornerstone of economic growth in all highly developed economies. In emerging economies, securing a reliable energy supply is one of the keys to future economic and social progress, to build a better quality of life. Globally, most of the energy consumed today comes from hydrocarbons—crude oil and natural gas. Transportation—whether by road, boat, air, or train—is almost completely fueled by products derived from crude oil. Fossil fuels remain indispensable for manufacturing the four key pillars of society: cement, steel, plastics, and ammonia.
Even with unprecedented improvements in energy efficiency seen in the last two decades, and projected to continue, global energy demand due to rising incomes and AI usage is expected to grow by nearly 40% by 2050. Meeting growing demand for energy in an environmentally responsible manner is thus a critical challenge facing business leaders in the 21st century.
Students who enroll in “The Business of Energy in the 21st Century” are often interested in careers as business executives, consultants, or entrepreneurs in the energy sector, or as financial experts in energy or infrastructure investment. Some simply have an interest in understanding what can realistically be done to address global emissions while maintaining economic growth.
The course will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-3:20 pm. For graduate students the course is designated at MOR 599 and is 3 units, for undergraduate students the course is MOR 499 and is 4 units. Undergraduate students are also required to attend the energy leader speaker series on the following Wednesdays from 12:00-2:00 pm: January 22, February 26, March 26, April 16, and April 30.
Speaker Series Spring Semester 2025
Each month the Business of Energy Transition Initiative hosts speakers from the energy industry. The speakers discuss current issues regarding the energy transition and what their career path in the energy industry has been like. The Energy Leader Speaker Series will be held in JKP 300 from 12:00-2:00 pm on the following Wednesdays:
- January 22–Pawan Kumar, Program Manager, Zum
- February 26–Michael Wong, Founder/CEO, Instahub
- March 26–Sirous Thampi, Founding Partner and Samuel Chao, Partner, Thampico LLC
- April 16–Kevin Dorey, Business Development Manager and Avery Barnebey, CFO, Element Resources
- April 30–Steve Acevedo, President & CEO, Regatta Solutions
Speaker Series Fall 2024
Monday, September 9 at 6:30 pm in JKP 300–CJ Warner, Retired CEO, Renewable Energy Group and Sr. Operating Partner, GVP Climate, LLP
Monday, September 16 at 6:30 pm in JKP 300–Al Williams, VP Corporate Affairs, Chevron Corporation
Tuesday, November 19 at 6:30 pm in JKP 102–Isaiah Taylor, CEO, Valar Atomics
Speaker Series 2023-2024
During the previous academic year students learned from industry leaders regarding the energy transition.
- October 2023 Darpan Kapadia, COO of LS Power
- November 2023 Dr. Blake Clayton, Chief Investment Officer at Rondure Global
- February 2024 Maurice Ahyow, Sr. Manager Strategy & Regulatory Affairs and Stephen Collins, Sr. Manager Strategic Planning at Southern California Edison
- March 2024 Justin Treitz, Senior Manager Carbon Solutions, California Resources Corporation, Carbon Terra Vault LLC
- March 2024 Chris Jablonski, Vice President of Chevron’s Downstream Technology & Services (not pictured)
- April 2024 Collaborative event with the Arkley Institute for Risk Management Panelists included Bhupesh Arora, former Chief Information Officer & Vice President of Information Technology at Magellan Midstream Partners; Marco Elizarraras, Chief Information Security Officer at Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; Laura Gichau, Cybersecurity Manager at Ernst & Young; and Kevin Grant, Director of Cybersecurity at Southern California Edison.
Graduate Students can join Marshall Energy and Sustainability Club by visiting the website and filling out the Membership Information Form
Undergraduate Students can join the Marshall Energy Business Club by emailing energy@marshall.usc.edu
Return to USC Marshall Business of Energy Transition Initiative Homepage
