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Agenda
Winners and Losers
in Green Technologies
FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2008
More than 100 industry executives and faculty attended this WHARTON IMPACT CONFERENCE hosted by the Mack Center for Technological Innovation. Here are a few photos from the conference - the agenda is also included (see below).
Top: left to right, Profs. Sid Winter, George Day, Scott Snyder, Paul Schoemaker; 2nd Row: Phil DeCola, Govi Rao, Karl Ulrich and Christine Rohan; 3rd Row: Paul Schoemaker;
Alexander Van de Putte, Donald Kalff, Christopher Tchen; John Ranieri, Ian Macmillan, Michael DeRosa
  
  
   
  
Concerns over global warming, mounting oil prices, water shortages and
other environmental threats have spawned a dizzying array of green
technologies. While rising concern for the environment is clear,
the nature and trajectory of the successful technologies, products, and
companies is far from certain.
Which of the various technologies will prevail? For example, what are
the prospects for solar power, nuclear, clean coal and biofuels? Which
of the many solar photovoltaic technologies will win? Does hydrogen
have a future? What is the role of energy-saving technologies such as
hybrid cars and LED lighting? Will there be new technologies that will
change the game? Which firms are best positioned to win with these
technologies? How will venture capital be deployed?
The above uncertainties are amplified by controversies over the timing
and magnitude of possible ecological inflection points. The impact of
government regulations and subsidies is still unfolding. The role of
consumers is ambiguous, with an apparent gap between their expressed
concern and their willingness to pay extra for green solutions. There
are conflicting claims over the rates of cost and efficiency
improvements of the competing technologies. A further complication is
the relative sacrifice to be made by developing versus developed
countries.
CONFERENCE THEMES:
In this Wharton Impact
Conference, the Mack Center brings together a distinguished group of
industry and academic leaders to explore the following key issues:
1. What does the
landscape of green technologies look like?
How can we segment and cluster the wide array of technological
approaches?
2. How might the
various markets for green technologies evolve?
Which technologies are
likely to prevail and why? What is the role of regulations, subsidies
and standards? How dependent is the evolution of technologies on cost
improvement, further improvements in performance, common standards, and
network economies? What emerging technologies now in the labs might
leapfrog current approaches?
3. Who will be the
likely winners and losers in key market segments?
Will these various
developments benefit or disadvantage established firms? What openings
will be created for new entrants? Are there likely to be first mover
benefits? Who will survive the inevitable shakeout?
4. What strategies
will be most effective in staking out winning positions?
How should firms assess
future opportunities and mitigate downside risks? What is the role of
partnerships and alliances in our increasingly networked economy? How
should intellectual property be protected, enhanced and exploited?
This conference will be of interest to companies developing or using
green technologies, and to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the
challenges of managing emerging technologies in the face of extreme
uncertainty. This Wharton Impact Conference is co-sponsored by the
Office of the Dean of the Wharton School, and is designed to address
critical issues of interest and concern to leaders in industry,
government and academic.
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AGENDA
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Location: Huntsman Hall (8th floor)
- Corner of 38th &
Walnut Streets, Philadelphia
8:00a – 8:30a
Continental breakfast
8:30a – 10:15a
SETTING THE STAGE
Lessons
from Emerging Technologies
George S. Day (Co-Director of
the Mack Center; Geoffrey T.
Boisi Professor of Marketing)
Paul J. H. Schoemaker
(Research Director of the Mack
Center and Chairman,
Decision
Strategies, Inc.)
Climate
Change: Driver of Innovation
"The Challenge of Climate
Change"
- Phil DeCola (Office
of Science and Technology Policy
in the Executive Office of the
President)
“Application to Energy
Scenarios”
- Scott A. Snyder (CEO of
Decision Strategies, Inc. Senior
Fellow of the Mack Center and
Adj. Professor at the Univ. of
Pennsylvania School of
Engineering)
10:15a – 10:30a
Break (Coffee and Networking)
10:30a – 12:15p
STRATEGIES FOR PARTICIPATION IN
GREEN TECHNOLOGIES
Chair: Harbir Singh
(Co-Director, Mack Center; The
Mack Professor; Professor of
Management; Acting
Chairperson, Management Dept.;
The Wharton School)
Biofuels: A DuPont Story
John Ranieri (Vice President and
General Manager – DuPont
Bio-Based Materials-Energy &
Specialties)
Ian MacMillan (The Dhirubhai
Ambani Professor of Innovation
and Entrepreneurship; Professor
of Management; Director, Sol C.
Snider Entrepreneurial Center;
The Wharton School)
Business Model Impacts of the
Emerging Energy Ecosystem
Govi Rao (Chairman & CEO,
Lighting Science Group Corp.)
12:15p – 1:15p
Lunch
1:15p – 2:45p
LESSONS FROM GREEN INITIATIVES
Chair: Karl Ulrich (CIBC
Professor; Professor of
Operations and Information
Management; Chairperson,
Operations and Information
Management Department; The
Wharton School)
Developing Environmental
Strategies that Build
Shareholder
Value: Private Jets and Climate
Change
George Favaloro (Managing
Director, Esty Environmental
Partners)
Steve Zacks (Executive Vice
President of Marketing and
Chief Marketing Officer, NetJets)
The
Evolution of GE Ecomagination
Christine Rohan (Ecomagination
Leader, GE Transportation)
2:45p – 3:00p Break
3:00p – 4:30p THE
PATH AHEAD
Chair: Sid Winter (Deloitte and
Touche Professor of Management,
The Wharton School)
Comments on Understanding Tail
Events: Weak Signals from the
Periphery Venture Capital as a
Change Agent
Michael DeRosa (Managing
Director, Element Partners)
Commentaries
Donald Kalff (Author, Investor,
Biotech entrepreneur; former
member of KLM’s Executive
Board);
Alexander Van de Putte (Senior
Director at PFC Energy
International, Lausanne; Former
Director and Head of Global
Practices with the World
Economic Forum)
Christopher Tchen (Partner at
Carbon Limiting Technologies;
Former Director of Strategos)
4:30p
ADJOURN
LOCATION & DIRECTIONS:
This event will be held in
Colloquium Hall, 8th
Floor Huntsman Hall, located at
the corner of 38th and Walnut in
Philadelphia. Huntsman is
approx. 45 minutes from
Philadelphia International
Airport and 20 minutes from 30th
Street Train Station. There is
an enclosed parking structure
across the street from Huntsman.
If you need advice concerning
accommodations you can contact
our Administrative Supervisor in
the Mack Center, Ms. Sok Be at
sokhbe@wharton.upenn.edu.
The nearest hotels are:
the Inn at Penn (215.222.0200) or The Sheraton University City
(215.387.8000).
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