Babson MBA student had "green" spring break

By Peter Rovick
Guest Columnist

“What I did on Summer Break.” We used to write these essays in grade school. Fast forward thirty years and change the season, and I’ll tell you what I did over Spring Break while pursuing my MBA at Babson.

There is a ubiquitous buzz about “green” and “alternative energy.” The Babson Office of International Programs (OIP) already offers multiple offshore experiences as a required element of the MBA program experience to international locations including Chile, Brazil, Russia, Ghana, South Africa, China, Japan, and India. Professor Candida “Candy” Brush, Division Chair of Entrepreneurship, through her current partnerships with universities in Norway, worked with students and staff this winter to develop a new offshore program focusing on alternative energy in Norway. Many students applied and seven were selected to participate in the initial program over Spring Break in March.

Student preparation included developing a blog to share news articles on current industry projects and government regulations with each other and with professors and students at counterpart universities in Norway. As well, each student prepared a presentation highlighting forms of alternative energy including solar, wind, and hydro power.

The team arrived in Trondheim on Saturday March 14, and met with student counterparts from partner university, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The first company visit required a one-hour ferry transport across a fjord to a wind turbine installation, where the group learned about Chap Drive’s development of hydraulic transmission to enable reduced weight in the nacelle – the portion of a wind turbine that sits atop the tall tower and houses components that convert the physical motion of the blades into electricity. Chap Drive is developing technology that enables wind turbine manufacturers to transmit the power to the bottom of the tower before converting it to electricity, which will yield benefits including simplified installation, reduced costs, and significantly reduced weight at the top of the tower – especially important for planned wind farms which will actually “float” in open seas.

Also in Trondheim, a professor from NTNU provided an overview of the process for manufacturing silicon wafers used in converting sunlight in to electricity. Eirik Hogner, a student from NTNU, showcased WindFlip, a ship that these engineering students are designing to lower the cost of transporting full scale offshore wind turbines. As offshore wind farms are developed, Norwegian company StatoilHydro and many others will need to transport and literally “flip” turbines from a horizontal to vertical position in the open seas before they are tethered to the ocean floor (see: http://www.windflip.com).

After other company presentations on hydro power markets and waste conversion to municipal power, the Babson student team boarded the MS Nordstjernen, part of the Hurtigruten fleet (or Costal Steamer), for an overnight voyage northward along the Norwegian coast to its next destination. Students captured photos of the beautiful and rugged Norwegian coastline, catching glimpses of on-shore wind farms and fish farms in protected waterways.

The next morning, the team disembarked the MS Nordsternan in Ørnes, north of the Artic Circle boundry, and visited a REC Wafer, “the world's largest producer of multicrystalline silicon wafers to the solar industry.” Company officials provided an up-close view of the manufacturing process, as well as the process of recycling wafers damaged in the initial manufacturing process. A drive to Bodoe included stops at the maelstrom at the Saltstraumen Nature reserve, home of the world’s largest tidal current. Incredibly powerful tidal currents in this 3 kilometer long strait flow up to 20 knots, creating whirlpools over 30 feet in diameter.

At the Handelshøgskolen, the Bodoe Graduate School of Business, students were treated to presentations by a regional Norwegian wind power producer and by Statoil Hydro. As you might surmise from the name, Statoil Hydro is the state-owned energy company, with historic roots in oil and hydro power. A representative shared insights about the company’s evolution, entrepreneurial culture, and forward-looking developments in alternative energy as it works to secure a sustainable future in a world where fossil fuels rapidly are being depleted.

While Norway may be one of the most expensive countries in the world, knowledge and insights gained on this educational experience were priceless. Several of the students from the trip were also leading organizers of the Babson Entrepreneurial Energy Expo (E3), which took place the week following the course trip. A couple of the same students have already received offers to work for alternative energy firms and others continue to search for a good fit in this rapidly growing industry. Professor Brush is working with the Babson Office of International Programs (OIP) to offer a second offshore course experience for graduate students next year, though all of us would love to return!

Peter Rovick is a proud recipient of a Babson Fellowship. He earned his MBA in the Babson Two-Year MBA program and graduated Cum Laude in May. The night before the graduation ceremonies, Peter was honored with the Babson Alumni Association Award for multiple initiatives and community activities. He and his wife have lived in Wellesley since 2001, where he has been an active member on both the Wellesley Trails Committee and the Wellesley Conservation Council