Sustain­ability and Busi­ness: En­ergy Mar­kets, Com­pet­i­tion, and Reg­u­la­tion

Course content

The energy sector is one of the largest sectors in the economy and heavily regulated. It is critically linked to the mitigation of climate change and at the heart of recent debates of security and affordability. To understand and evaluate business opportunities in renewable energies, sustainable fuels and other parts of the energy sector, it is vital to develop a basic understanding of the organization of the energy supply chain, energy market design, subsidies and network regulation.

This course introduces you to the energy sector from an economics and business perspective. The course combines microeconomic concepts, particularly from industrial organization, with their application to electricity, natural gas, heating and Power-to-X.

The course covers the following themes and topics:

• Microeconomics of energy use, energy demand, and energy supply
• Energy and climate policy at national level and international cooperation
• Sector organization and energy supply with a focus on electricity, gas and heat supply
• Economics of investment in renewable energy technologies and business models for innovative energy services
• Market design and competition in energy markets with a focus on electricity wholesale
• Introduction to the theory and principles of monopoly regulation with a focus on networks and utilities for electricity, gas and heat

This module is endorsed by the Copenhagen School of Energy Infrastructure (CSEI) at CBS and it is embedded in its overall strategy of research and education. CSEI is directly supported by the European Commission (DG Energy).