Using AI to Unlock Geothermal Energy at Scale: Zanskar
- 27 MAY 2026
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- Climate Rising
Geothermal energy has long been seen as a promising, but challenging, clean energy
resource. Unlike wind or solar, geothermal requires finding heat hidden deep underground,
often with little surface indication of where to look. Joel Edwards, co-founder and
Chief Technology Officer of Zanskar, joins Climate Rising to explain how advances
in geoscience, data science, and machine learning are transforming geothermal exploration.
By combining publicly available geologic data with modern modeling techniques, Zanskar
is working to reduce the risk and cost of finding new geothermal resources. The conversation
explores how geothermal systems work, why exploration has historically been challenging,
and how Zanskar’s approach is enabling “blind discoveries”—finding viable geothermal
resources that lack surface expressions such as hot springs or geysers. Joel also
discusses the economics of geothermal, the role of data centers as a potential catalyst
for growth, and what it will take to scale the industry.
Geothermal energy has long been seen as a promising, but challenging, clean energy
resource. Unlike wind or solar, geothermal requires finding heat hidden deep underground,
often with little surface indication of where to look. Joel Edwards, co-founder and
Chief Technology Officer of Zanskar, joins Climate Rising to explain how advances
in geoscience, data science, and machine learning are transforming geothermal exploration.
By combining publicly available geologic data with modern modeling techniques, Zanskar
is working to reduce the risk and cost of finding new geothermal resources. The conversation
explores how geothermal systems work, why exploration has historically been challenging,
and how Zanskar’s approach is enabling “blind discoveries”—finding viable geothermal
resources that lack surface expressions such as hot springs or geysers. Joel also
discusses the economics of geothermal, the role of data centers as a potential catalyst
for growth, and what it will take to scale the industry.
A Simpler, Cheaper Path to Meaningful Emissions Cuts
Re: Forest Reinhardt
- 22 May 2026
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- HBS Working Knowledge
Lessons in Top-Level Sustainability from Harvard Business School
- 07 May 2026
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- Facilitiesnet
Why Boston’s Biggest Institutions Should Co-Invest in Climate Protection
By: John Macomber
- 17 Apr 2026
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- CommonWealth Beacon
Why Is EV Charging So Unreliable? The Effects of Competition on Supplementary Service Quality
- 2026
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- Working Paper
Supplementary services—such as coffee shops providing free wi-fi and airlines offering airport lounges—are increasingly important to operational performance and customer experience. Yet little is known about what drives variation in their quality. While prior research shows that competition improves core service quality, we theorize that its effects on supplementary service quality depends on the source of competition. Competition from establishments offering the same core service enhances supplementary service quality, whereas competition from those offering different core services diminishes it. We test our hypotheses using data on the reliability of U.S. public EV charging stations, a widely-offered supplementary service across hotels, retailers, parking facilities, and other establishments. Analyzing 49,902 charging stations with 805,639 consumer reviews from 2011 to 2024, we apply machine learning methods to measure charging reliability. We find that competition among establishments offering the same core service is associated with higher reliability, suggesting that the positive effects of core service competition spill over to the quality of supplementary services. In contrast, competition from charging establishments with different core services is associated with lower station reliability. This latter effect is more consequential, as most nearby charging competitors provide different core services. Our results indicate that, within our sample period, a one-standard-deviation increase in such competition is associated with a 10.4% to 32.2% decline in service reliability scores over the subsequent five years. These findings have important implications for firms’ demand management and for public policy aimed at improving EV charging infrastructure performance.
OCP Group: Transforming for a Sustainable Future (A)
- MAY 2026
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- Teaching Material
Pre-abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making the (B) Case videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details. Abstract: In 2025, Mostafa Terrab, Chairman of Morocco mining and fertilizer giant OCP, is assessing his senior leadership team's progress on collaboration and synergies across his recently decentralized organization and his ambitious decarbonization goals. Terrab committed OCP to 100% carbon neutrality across scopes 1 and 2 by 2030, and scope 3 by 2040. One piece of this puzzle is cracking the code for producing green ammonia, a key input in OCP's phosphate-based fertilizers. Terrab felt that synergies across OCP were at risk as was his green ammonia efforts. Terrab is concerned the managing directors continue to focus on their own SBU's goals rather than working together across their units to unleash their (and OCP's) full potential. Further, Terrab's aspiration for decarbonization across OCP is expensive. His green ammonia effort, a way to potentially revolutionize agriculture, is being resisted because of cost issues and technology questions.
OCP Group: Transforming for a Sustainable Future (B)
- MAY 2026
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- Teaching Material
Pre-abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making the (B) Case videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details. Abstract: In 2025, Mostafa Terrab, Chairman of Morocco mining and fertilizer giant OCP, is assessing his senior leadership team's progress on collaboration and synergies across his recently decentralized organization and his ambitious decarbonization goals. Terrab committed OCP to 100% carbon neutrality across scopes 1 and 2 by 2030, and scope 3 by 2040. One piece of this puzzle is cracking the code for producing green ammonia, a key input in OCP's phosphate-based fertilizers. Terrab felt that synergies across OCP were at risk as was his green ammonia efforts. Terrab is concerned the managing directors continue to focus on their own SBU's goals rather than working together across their units to unleash their (and OCP's) full potential. Further, Terrab's aspiration for decarbonization across OCP is expensive. His green ammonia effort, a way to potentially revolutionize agriculture, is being resisted because of cost issues and technology questions.
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