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This paper is a teaching case study written for educational purposes. The case brings forward a real-life situation of an organization that is engaged in the exciting but also risky journey of implementing a green innovation at a large scale. The case is written in a way that allows students to reflect and think about the organizational and leadership challenges and opportunities involved. The teacher can activate these reflections in the context of various possible theoreyical and analytical frameworks, in a number of possible different courses. The case is about Exergi, the main utility company producing district heating in Stockholm. After successfully transitioning from coal to bio-energy sources, since 2020 Exergi has embarked on a new and far more ambitious venture: Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). This technology captures CO2 emissions from biomass combustion and stores them, potentially resulting in negative emissions. BECCS plays a central role in IPCC mitigation pathways and Exergi has recognized an opportunity, but venturing into this uncharted territory presents numerous challenges. BECCS is a new and untested technology at an industrial scale, requiring substantial investments, and a market for selling carbon removal certificates (CRC) that does not exist yet. Though promising for reaching net zero targets in time, the viability of BECCS for Exergi depends on a supportive regulatory framework, cross-border cooperation, and the creation of a CRC market. To navigate these challenges, Exergi relies on creating an innovative organizational culture as well as mobilizing external stakeholders. Hence, CEO Anders Egelrudhas hired individuals with entrepreneurial mindsets, and sought external expertise as well as creating strong networks and communication approach. Yet, some internal tensions have also come to the fore, due to the rapid internal dynamics. Overall, Exergi's transition from coal to BECCS reflects the commitment to sustainable practices by an incumbent, and its willingnessto size new opportunities. The company's success driving this transformation forward hinges on many events coming together, both external and internal to the firm.

This paper is a teaching case study written for educational purposes. The case brings forward a real-life situation of an organization that is engaged in the exciting but also risky journey of implementing a green innovation at a large scale. The case is written in a way that allows students to reflect and think about the organizational and leadership challenges and opportunities involved. The teacher can activate these reflections in the context of various possible theoreyical and analytical frameworks, in a number of possible different courses. The case is about Exergi, the main utility company producing district heating in Stockholm. After successfully transitioning from coal to bio-energy sources, since 2020 Exergi has embarked on a new and far more ambitious venture: Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). This technology captures CO2 emissions from biomass combustion and stores them, potentially resulting in negative emissions. BECCS plays a central role in IPCC mitigation pathways and Exergi has recognized an opportunity, but venturing into this uncharted territory presents numerous challenges. BECCS is a new and untested technology at an industrial scale, requiring substantial investments, and a market for selling carbon removal certificates (CRC) that does not exist yet. Though promising for reaching net zero targets in time, the viability of BECCS for Exergi depends on a supportive regulatory framework, cross-border cooperation, and the creation of a CRC market. To navigate these challenges, Exergi relies on creating an innovative organizational culture as well as mobilizing external stakeholders. Hence, CEO Anders Egelrudhas hired individuals with entrepreneurial mindsets, and sought external expertise as well as creating strong networks and communication approach. Yet, some internal tensions have also come to the fore, due to the rapid internal dynamics. Overall, Exergi's transition from coal to BECCS reflects the commitment to sustainable practices by an incumbent, and its willingnessto size new opportunities. The company's success driving this transformation forward hinges on many events coming together, both external and internal to the firm.

Sustainable Development using renewable energy systems - Findings from the SDEWES 2019 International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management, Vol. 29 (2020)

Sustainable Development using renewable energy systems - Findings from the SDEWES 2019 International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management, Vol. 29 (2020)

The sEEnergies project is based on the concept of Energy Efficiency First Principle and is aimed at the identification of energy efficiency potentials on which the future European energy system should be designed. In two earlier deliverables (D2.1 and D2.3), the energy savings of the Energy-efficiency scenario compared to a business-as-usual trajectory have been assessed. The present deliverable, D2.4, discusses additional environmental and social impacts of the measures included in the Energy-efficiency scenario. For each impact category, the causal mechanisms producing the impact are briefly described. For some of the impacts, quantitative assessments of the impacts compared to a business-as-usual trajectory have also been made. However, for most impact categories, only qualitative descriptions have been possible.

The sEEnergies project is based on the concept of Energy Efficiency First Principle and is aimed at the identification of energy efficiency potentials on which the future European energy system should be designed. In two earlier deliverables (D2.1 and D2.3), the energy savings of the Energy-efficiency scenario compared to a business-as-usual trajectory have been assessed. The present deliverable, D2.4, discusses additional environmental and social impacts of the measures included in the Energy-efficiency scenario. For each impact category, the causal mechanisms producing the impact are briefly described. For some of the impacts, quantitative assessments of the impacts compared to a business-as-usual trajectory have also been made. However, for most impact categories, only qualitative descriptions have been possible.

Root-surface phosphatase activities were measured in natural and semi-natural shrublands across an European climatic gradient of temperature and rainfall including Wales (WL), Denmark (DK), Netherlands (NL), Hungary (HU), Italy (IT) and Spain (SP). In each site a warming experiment was conducted since 1999 or 2001 by means of passive night-time warming using reflective curtains that covered the vegetation at night. The treatments increased yearly average soil temperatures around 0.8 o C in most of sites. Root-surface phosphatase activity values ranged between 56 mg PNP g -1 h -1 in IT and 3.5 mg PNP g -1 h -1 in HU. Warming had no effect on root-surface phosphatase acti vity across the sites and only in Hungary a slight increase was detected. Plants at Mediterranean sites (IT, SP) showed a higher root-surface phosphatase activity than plants at temperate sites (WL, NL, DK). We suggest it might be an adaptation of plant species evolved under Mediterranean climate that allows them a) to compensate in wet period for the decrease in phosphatase activity, and thus P uptake, during drought periods, and/or b) to benefit from soluble organic P flushes following the frequent drying-rewetting episodes experienced by soils in Mediterranean ecosystems This research was funded by EU under the VULCAN project (Contract EVK2-CT-2000-00094). We also thank partial funding by Spanish Government grants REN2003-04871/GLO and CGL2004- 01402/BOS, Catalan government grant SGR2005-00312, the EC Integrated FP6 ALARM (GOCE-CT-2003-506675) Project, and a Fundación BBVA 2004 grant. Marc Estiarte acknowledges support from “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” (Ramón y Cajal contract) 5 páginas, 1 figura, 1 tabla. Peer reviewed

Root-surface phosphatase activities were measured in natural and semi-natural shrublands across an European climatic gradient of temperature and rainfall including Wales (WL), Denmark (DK), Netherlands (NL), Hungary (HU), Italy (IT) and Spain (SP). In each site a warming experiment was conducted since 1999 or 2001 by means of passive night-time warming using reflective curtains that covered the vegetation at night. The treatments increased yearly average soil temperatures around 0.8 o C in most of sites. Root-surface phosphatase activity values ranged between 56 mg PNP g -1 h -1 in IT and 3.5 mg PNP g -1 h -1 in HU. Warming had no effect on root-surface phosphatase acti vity across the sites and only in Hungary a slight increase was detected. Plants at Mediterranean sites (IT, SP) showed a higher root-surface phosphatase activity than plants at temperate sites (WL, NL, DK). We suggest it might be an adaptation of plant species evolved under Mediterranean climate that allows them a) to compensate in wet period for the decrease in phosphatase activity, and thus P uptake, during drought periods, and/or b) to benefit from soluble organic P flushes following the frequent drying-rewetting episodes experienced by soils in Mediterranean ecosystems This research was funded by EU under the VULCAN project (Contract EVK2-CT-2000-00094). We also thank partial funding by Spanish Government grants REN2003-04871/GLO and CGL2004- 01402/BOS, Catalan government grant SGR2005-00312, the EC Integrated FP6 ALARM (GOCE-CT-2003-506675) Project, and a Fundación BBVA 2004 grant. Marc Estiarte acknowledges support from “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” (Ramón y Cajal contract) 5 páginas, 1 figura, 1 tabla. Peer reviewed