​This is a 2 day course workshop intended for current MIT students and is part of MIT's Independent Activities Period (IAP).

​Course Details

​Dates & Times:

• ​Monday, January 26th | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (Lunch break 12-1 pm) VIRTUAL ONLY

• ​Tuesday, January 27th | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (Lunch break 12-1 pm)

​Location: This event is hybrid. A zoom link will be provided for those who indicate they will be attending virtually.

​Teaching Faculty: Santosh Raikar, MIT TPP '01, Managing Partner & Head of Renewables at Silverpeak

​Course Description

​According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, global investment in the Energy Transition exceeded $2 Trillion for the first time in 2024, with the United States accounting for $272 billion in renewable energy investments. Yet, renewable energy is still only a small part of the energy mix globally. The transition to a carbon-sustainable global economy will require many trillions of dollars in capital investment. But how can capital-intensive renewable energy projects attract the needed capital? Without massive private investment, plans for a green energy future in the developed and developing world will remain as aspirations. Harnessing the capital markets to build out global renewable energy infrastructure is critical. 

​In this course, we will examine how large-scale renewable energy projects actually get financed and built, using the structures of modern non-recourse project finance. We will examine the economics of large-scale green power production and incentive mechanisms, and how they fit into the global energy mix. Through a mixture of lectures and real-life examples students will get to see how renewable energy project finance works in actual deals that mix finance, public policy, legal, engineering, and environmental issues. Wherever relevant, we will also explore new technologies such as Green Hydrogen and Energy Storage that will help expedite the energy transition by integrating intermittent renewable energy resources into energy systems. The skills developed in analyzing non-recourse cash flow-based finance will be generally applicable to students interested not just in green energy, but also more widely in private equity and infrastructure investing.   

​Course Eligibility / Pre-Requisites

• ​Graduate students will be given priority over the undergraduate students.

• ​Undergraduate students who are in Senior year will be eligible to participate.

• ​While no prior background in finance and engineering is required, students who have taken 15.401 and/or 15.402 would find the prior background in finance helpful.