EDHEC MBAs third in prestigious Renewable Energy Case Competition

Sustainability, ESG and corporate social responsibility are woven intricately into the EDHEC Global MBA programme. This is why our programme is ranked among the best in the world for ESG education, and our participants value this focus on sustainability very highly. And they proved, time and again, just how much they do so: with incredible extra-curricular activities. Despite a demanding, full-time MBA schedule, they managed to participate in this year’s Renewable Energy Case competition (RECC). And win 3rd place!

The Renewable Energy Case competition (RECC) and the Ross Energy week

Following the initiative of the MBA Entrepreneurship club, Team CarNon aka Rustem Ospanov, Shiva Kumar Dundi, Hashika Lalla, Tom Mullee, and Sri Krishna Palabathuni, signed up for the annual Renewable Energy Case competition (RECC) held during the Ross Energy week hosted by the Energy Club at Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. The competition required the development of a solid business case for the long duration energy storage (LDES) demonstration project incl.

• Selection of a grid within the US – California ISO or Midcontinent ISO.
• Identifying a suitable location within the county to place the project.
• Selection of LDES technology and rationale.
• Quantifying the curtailment absorbed and dispatched to reduce reliance on natural gas assets.
• Quantifying the overall cost of the project.

Their entry made it into the final and in the end won third place 3rd behind Dartmouth College and Chicago Booth. Furthermore, they were the only team in the final from outside of the US.

Sustainability, ESG and corporate social responsibility at the heart of the Global MBA Programme

“We believe this project encapsulates the ethos of EDHEC Business School in making an impact and was something that the whole team felt passionate about!” said the team. Rustem praised his team’s dedication, persistence, energy and curiosity, adding that “It was a rewarding experience and surely among the highlights of my MBA journey! Looking forward, I am convinced that effective LDES is needed for a successful transition to renewable energy.”

"We are immensely proud of our team of EDHEC MBAs. They invested time and energy to bring together learning from the MBA and from their professional backgrounds. This is the first time a team from EDHEC' Global MBA has entered the Renewable Energy Challenge, and they have proven that diverse teams bring performance - together they represent 4 countries and 3 continents! The intensity of our one-year programme meant that this team had to find rare time outside of classes and assignments to work together on a topic that aligns well with EDHEC's values of engagement, innovation and impact.

Competitions like this one are a great way for MBA students to apply what they are learning, to engage in sustainability, and to build bridges with the international MBA community." said Global MBA Programme Director Sandra Richez, congratulating them.