Supply and Sustainability: Piecing Together the Energy Puzzle

The global energy sector is at a crossroads. Key issues such as a lack of energy independence, the security of energy supplies, and climate change have become important items on the agendas of governments everywhere. This has sparked a heated debate about the most appropriate energy mix in those countries that are considering the use of nuclear power and renewable energy, and in companies that are committed to tackling climate change. These issues were discussed during a panel session on the future of energy at the recent Wharton Global Alumni Forum in Madrid, moderated by Stephen J. Kobrin, professor of multinational management at Wharton.

Participants on the panel included executives from several companies that have invested significant resources in renewable energy technology: Carmen Becerril, president of Acciona Energía, a global leader in renewable energy with a presence in eight different kinds of clean energy; Amparo Moraleda, COO of Spain's Iberdrola International, which owns Scottish Power, the electricity producer; and Lady Barbara Judge, president of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority, which specializes in nuclear research and in dismantling British nuclear reactors that can no longer be utilized. Other participants in the debate were Oscar Fanjul, chief executive of Omega Capital, an investment company; and winemaker Miguel Torres, president and chief executive of family-owned Bodegas Torres.