About the Presentation

This webinar will offer an interdisciplinary perspective on solar innovation in the United States by examining over 100 case studies. It will use these research findings to describe how self-organizing groups, or "tribes," have become a driving force in transforming the solar innovation industry nationally and globally, and also focus on their potential to transform the value network.

The webinar will highlight various characteristics of successful tribes. Factors such as dynamics leading to formation, patterns of growth, evolution, and, in some cases, demise will be examined as well. The presentation will also describe the place and relationship of the ideal entity within existing and future solar innovation clusters.

The current status of the United States' competitive advantage will be discussed by comparing emerging and established regional solar innovation capabilities. A framework will be offered to provide government and industry decision-makers with an approach that can be implemented immediately to build a global competitive advantage.

This research was funded by the US Department of Energy.

About the Speaker

Donny Holaschutz, SDM '10, is a clean technology and sustainability entrepreneur based out of Austin, Texas. He is a co-founder and the CEO of Bloomgi, a startup focused on creating innovative, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly product alternatives that offer consumers the choice to improve the health of our planet without sacrificing convenience.

About the Series

The MIT System Design and Management Program Systems Thinking Webinar Series features research conducted by SDM faculty, alumni, students, and industry partners. The series is designed to disseminate information on how to employ systems thinking to address engineering, management, and socio-political components of complex challenges.