Business strategies in sustainable energy

Moving towards a more sustainable energy future is widely regarded as one the key challenges for the decades to come, related to the negative economic, political, environmental, and social externalities associated with fossil fuel dependence. The international diffusion of technologies which enable more sustainable modes of energy production and consumption across the world is a central factor in this respect. For energy production, this implies that major investments in renewable energy technologies are needed to replace fossil fuel-based technologies as a source for power generation; for energy consumption, this entails the widespread deployment of technologies which enable energy-intensive economic activities to become more energy efficient. This dissertation examines the strategies of firms in developing and marketing technologies for sustainable energy production and consumption in heterogeneous empirical contexts, with specific attention for the role of multinational enterprises, as they are crucial and powerful players in addressing global sustainability issues.