1.What stage of the industry life cycle is the electricity industry in? Is there a dominant design? What are the implications for innovations in renewable energy?
2. The case identifies a number of renewable energy sources. Which ones do you think will be viable future businesses? What are some technological and economic pros and cons for each renewable option?
3. Given that some renewable energy sources (i.e., wind, solar) are already cost competitive with carbon based fuel sources, why do we still rely mostly on carbon based fuel sources for the majority of our electricity needs? What are some obstacles?
4. In the current power grid system, how do operators match supply and demand? What are some implications to the renewable energy options? You might need to do some outside research.
5. What is smart grid and how does it work? What benefits does smart grid provide to the power grid system?
6. How would smart grid help for the adoption of renewable energy sources for the
electricity market?
7. How aggressive should Siemens be in pursuing these new technologies? Is it better to be a first mover and set the standard, or let other firms take the initial risk and then capitalize on their discoveries?
8. How should Siemens go about developing alternative energy technologies? Go it alone? Create strategic alliances? Acquire smaller companies?
9. What should Siemens do to move the global power system toward more renewable energy sources?
