In a business environment where change has become commonplace, few industries have seen more of it recently than the global energy business.

Seven years ago, the electricity and gas industry was one of the most heavily regulated in the world. Today, segments of the business—for example, wholesale markets—have become so competitive that they resemble the most sophisticated financial markets.

In the oil industry, the stakes have gotten higher as the majors strive to consolidate their global positions and decide where along the value chain to compete. And across the energy sector, some of the most capital-intensive companies in business today face large bets and great uncertainty.

With market liberalization, consolidation/concentration, internationalization, pressure on prices and the need for improvement of efficiency and affectivity, the utilities industry is swiftly changing. We work with industry leaders that seek to take advantage of the opportunities the energy markets offer.

Covering the entire spectrum of strategic and operational consulting, Siegle, Hu & Partners International develops solutions in close cooperation with its clients — solutions that are ready for decision-making and that are ready to implement. These solutions include:

Market insights: Examples from our energy & utility practice

Renewable Energy Technologies - Emerging Developments in Europe

Nanomaterials Hold the Key for Greater Efficiencies of Solar Cells
The use of nanomaterials in the manufacture of photovoltaic cells -- the medium used to tap solar energy -- coupled with the rigorous efforts of researchers has substantially increased the efficiency of solar cells in the last few years. In fact, nanomaterials hold the key to research efforts in developing solar cells that could yield energy efficiency as high as 21 per cent. With many such initiatives, Europe is well on its way to achieving the pledged target of having nearly 22 per cent of renewable energy sources in its entire energy supply by the end of this decade.

This Technical Insights research examines the leading renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, geothermal, wave and hydrogen including fuel cell technology that are currently in vogue in Europe. The research provides a birds-eye view of the emerging techniques/devices that have a critical role in tapping these energy sources.

Developing a Hydrogen Economy Hinges on Reducing the Costs of Fuel Cell Operations

Although fuel cells use hydrogen as a fuel, they are less efficient in storing hydrogen besides not being up to the mark in operating at desired temperatures. This is a limiting factor if hydrogen is to replace gasoline as a transport fuel. The cost of fuel cell operations needs to be lowered, in order to pave the way for a hydrogen economy. Additionally, hydrogen (with its potential for large-scale, even seasonal energy storage) and electricity together provide a promising transition pathway towards becoming less dependent on fossil fuels, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The drive towards the hydrogen economy has taken off with the launch of the Clean Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE) project -- a European Union (EU) initiative intended to test the day-to-day operational feasibility of the fuel cell buses in dense traffic and varying climatic/geographic conditions across nine European cities. The CUTE project is the first effort towards realistic, large-scale application of renewable energy sources. Similar efforts will not only ensure a more secure energy supply for the EU, but also strengthen the competitiveness of the EU industry landscape, create new jobs besides enabling adherence to the Kyoto Protocol by its member states.

"Wind Versus Wave" Sets the Stage for Explosive Growth

Continuing research in the wind energy sector -- one of the prominent renewable energy technologies used in Europe -- is bound to drive the capacities of wind turbines to a higher level. The recent launch of V90, the next-generation wind turbines developed by Vestas Wind Systems, is one such effort in this direction. V90 promises to be high on both capacity and efficiency and with Vestas proven track record; it is likely to be a huge draw at the sales counter.

The emerging wave energy sector has also received a shot in the arm with the successful testing of TiDel, a wave energy device developed by SMD Hydrovision. This device, when commercialized, is likely to compete with wind energy devices in terms of electricity production costs. Since the ocean is a huge source for renewable energy, this potentially path-breaking find is likely to intensify competition among participants in the renewable energy space. Geothermal energy is another relatively unknown renewable energy source receiving greater attention of late from researchers. With all these projects supported by amazing and organized financial backup by the EU, renewables could well be the primary energy source in Europe by 2020.