Blog
- The Stunning Decline of Costs of Renewable EnergyThe cost of capital investment for strategic alternatives requires an understanding not just of adoption today but also of how costs will change through scale and learning. In this clip from our Energy Transition Summit earlier this year, Jim Lazar reviews the… Read more: The Stunning Decline of Costs of Renewable Energy
- The Strategic Challenge of Grid DefectionWhen your business model depends on scale, how do you manage a shrinking market for your product? The energy transition is forcing – or will force – leaders to address this question as renewable energy continues to replace fossil fuels. For instance,… Read more: The Strategic Challenge of Grid Defection
- Political Influences on Decision MakingHow do you make decisions when things get “political”? I’m not talking about who to vote for. I’m referring to the type of politics where there is more to the discussion than what’s on the surface. Where there are unspoken concerns or factors between… Read more: Political Influences on Decision Making
- Navigating Attribution Bias“That’s not how any of this works.” If you find yourself wanting to say that in response to a colleague, you may be facing someone who has fallen susceptible to Attribution Bias. Attribution Bias refers to the systematic errors made when people… Read more: Navigating Attribution Bias
- Addressing Framing BiasWhen using news sources to gather information in support of a decision, beware Framing Bias, a.k.a. Framing Effect. Framing Bias relates to the fact that teams and individuals can look at the same data and draw different inferences and conclusions. Editorial boards… Read more: Addressing Framing Bias
- Competing in an Unfair EnvironmentWhen making strategic decisions as a disruptor, how do you deal with a context in which the incumbent has their finger on the scale? One of the ways in which an industry can protect itself from free market competition is through regulatory… Read more: Competing in an Unfair Environment
- Positioning Analysis as a Decision Making ToolI confess. I love the concept of product positioning. When used effectively, a positioning analysis becomes a super effective tool for strategic decision making. Maybe it’s the way I was taught it, but it’s a concept that I find so useful as… Read more: Positioning Analysis as a Decision Making Tool
- When Demand for Energy Outstrips SupplyWhen the demand for energy outstrips the supply of clean energy sources, the decarbonization movement suffers. Consider a few examples you may not have heard of that demonstrate the complex dynamics of the energy transition. First, there is the case of the startup CarbonCapture Inc., a carbon… Read more: When Demand for Energy Outstrips Supply
- Announcing the Tilt Global Advisory CouncilThe team at Tilt Global is excited to announce the first four members of our Advisory Council. We have assembled a diverse collection of professionals with deep expertise spanning electric utilities, distributed grid technologies, corporate strategy and operations, and leadership development. Each… Read more: Announcing the Tilt Global Advisory Council
- Capturing Tradeoffs Using Embodied EnergyDecision making is often about tradeoffs. Sometimes you must choose between two alternatives. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too, as the saying goes. At a systems level, the view required to analyze a complex environment like the global energy… Read more: Capturing Tradeoffs Using Embodied Energy
- The Asphalt InstitutionOn a recent trip to California, I was reminded of an aspect of the state’s focus on electric vehicles that no one talks about: Bitumen, better known in the U.S. as asphalt. When moving about the Bay Area, it seems as if the… Read more: The Asphalt Institution
- Surprise! Your Product Is ObsoleteImagine working in an industry where one day your product is not just competitive but even leading the market in terms of performance and low manufacturing costs. Orders are streaming in. Customers are happy. Your business is firing on all cylinders. The next day,… Read more: Surprise! Your Product Is Obsolete
- HH Income, Energy Priorities, Context, and Decision-MakingHow could household income and geographic differences influence the priorities placed by individuals on the 3 primary tradeoffs of energy sources – Reliability, Affordability, and the Environment? And what could this sort of analysis teach us about decision-making? To make sure we’re… Read more: HH Income, Energy Priorities, Context, and Decision-Making
- Systems Thinking Focal LengthsOne of the keys to a successful application of a systems thinking approach to any sort of analysis is the ability to understand systems operating within a very wide or very narrow focus. Sometimes you have to zoom out to see the… Read more: Systems Thinking Focal Lengths
- Jevon’s ParadoxIn terms of the changes required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, people are a big part of the problem. What if we let people be people, without trying to change them? I may be stating the obvious, but the challenges of altering… Read more: Jevon’s Paradox
- Considering Context: Modeling Energy Policy After California
- Alternative Futures and the Long Carbon CycleAt this point, there is little debate about whether humans have impacted the short carbon cycle, in which carbon moves between the atmosphere and biosphere in a span of a few years. But what about the long carbon cycle, measured in millions… Read more: Alternative Futures and the Long Carbon Cycle
- Framing for SuccessWe all understand the concept of “framing” even if we’ve never heard the label formally applied before: Is the glass half empty or half full? Pessimists, it is said, focus on the empty portion of the glass while optimists focus on the… Read more: Framing for Success
- Obstacles to Alignment on Climate ChangeWhat is it about the discussion on climate change that makes it so difficult to get agreement on the nature of the risk? Because if we can’t even agree that a problem exists, how are we ever going to agree on a… Read more: Obstacles to Alignment on Climate Change
- What if… we focused on the long carbon cycle?What if…? Why not…? These are the types of questions we like to help clients ask. For example, what if the world wanted to get serious about carbon removal from the atmosphere by building an industry that would focus exclusively on promoting… Read more: What if… we focused on the long carbon cycle?
- Uncertain Climate Policy in an Election YearDecision making in the face of uncertain governmental policy is incredibly difficult, and never is policy in the U.S. more uncertain than in a Presidential election year. With the executive branch and both houses of Congress up for grabs and more than… Read more: Uncertain Climate Policy in an Election Year
- The Risks of Overstating One’s Case“There’s no reason why anyone should buy anything but an electric car now.” That’s what my neighbor said to me after he recently bought a Chevy Bolt. “That’s a bit hyperbolic,” I said. Unfortunately, that’s where the conversation ended because he was… Read more: The Risks of Overstating One’s Case
- In Opposition to Climate Timelines and MandatesWhat seems like a more attainable goal – committing to run or walk 1,000 miles in two years or committing to ten miles next week? I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of you said that covering a total of… Read more: In Opposition to Climate Timelines and Mandates
- Rising Tide, Sinking Ship“A rising tide lifts all boats.” If you been in business even a short time, you’ve likely heard that adage. If only it were universally true. The team at SunPower Corporation sure wishes that was the case. This former giant in the… Read more: Rising Tide, Sinking Ship
- Is Tractor Supply Company showing evidence of dysfunction in decision making or of strategic enterprise agility?A few weeks ago, CNN Business published an article online with the following headline: “Tractor Supply warned climate change and a lack of diversity would hurt business. Now it’s ignoring those risks.” The piece states, quoting the company’s annual report published in… Read more: Is Tractor Supply Company showing evidence of dysfunction in decision making or of strategic enterprise agility?
- The Energy Transition and New Hiring and Training Needs in JapanWhat training can prepare managers to make long-term planning decisions in a changing environment, particularly with respect to energy use? This question is especially important in Japan, where economic downturns, market collapse, and natural disasters have contributed to a major shift in… Read more: The Energy Transition and New Hiring and Training Needs in Japan
- Japanese Heavy Industry and Secure Energy SourcesHeavy industries in Japan are actively seeking & developing secure energy sources that are also less carbon intensive. How can capex planners in these industries evaluate possible scenarios? In 2022, commercial and industrial users accounted for about 61% of Japan’s total energy… Read more: Japanese Heavy Industry and Secure Energy Sources
- Unleash Your Portfolio Companies SuccessPrivate equity-owned businesses often need a fresh approach. New strategies, new direction, sometimes new leaders. We accelerate strategic alignment and leader capacity, empowering team execution.
- What happens when the unforeseen gets in the way of climate goals?The Great East Japan Earthquake struck the northeast coast of Honshu Island on March 11, 2011. The resulting catastrophic failure at the Fukushima Daiichi Electrical Power Station caused Japan to shut down its entire fleet of 54 nuclear reactors. In March 2011, nuclear… Read more: What happens when the unforeseen gets in the way of climate goals?
- Waiting to ConnectIf it’s been a while since you’ve driven across the Great Plains of the U.S, you may not have noticed that the renewable energy industry is booming. As with all things related to the energy transition, the story is complicated, though. I… Read more: Waiting to Connect
- Does My Team Need Tilt Global? Four Triggers That Scream “Yes”Business abhors uncertainty, and most business contexts are subject to volatility, which drives uncertainty. When markets undergo disruption, however, the unexpected becomes the norm, and decision making becomes increasingly complex. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help evaluate whether your… Read more: Does My Team Need Tilt Global? Four Triggers That Scream “Yes”
- The Urgency To Address Moloch’s Trap In Energy SectorsIn the dynamic and competitive arena of the energy industry, there exists a notable paradox from game theory often referred to as “Moloch’s trap.” This concept highlights a significant dilemma: although competition is designed to foster innovation and reduce costs, it can… Read more: The Urgency To Address Moloch’s Trap In Energy Sectors
- COP 28 Was a Cop OutThe 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, better known as COP 28, was celebrated in many circles as a victory because of the “historic” deal resulting in a global commitment to “transition away” from… Read more: COP 28 Was a Cop Out
- Why Tilt?In the unfolding global energy transition, business decisions are becoming harder and harder to make. Why? There is significant disruption which presents itself as complexity, uncertainty, and confusion. These conditions create pronounced risk in making decisions for companies that need to commit scarce resources… … Read more: Why Tilt?