Mini MBA in Energy and Sustainability Training Course

Duration 10 days 18 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Energy Managers, Sustainability Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-ETR-006

Before you join: Participants should have professional experience in energy, operations, finance, sustainability, procurement, infrastructure, policy or a related management function.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Energy leaders must make investment, operating and reporting decisions while electricity systems, fuel markets, regulation and stakeholder expectations change. They need to distinguish credible transition options from weak claims, assess project economics beyond headline costs, quantify emissions correctly and build plans that can secure capital, approvals and internal commitment. This requires business judgement across strategy, finance, operations, risk and reporting rather than technical knowledge alone.

This Mini MBA in Energy and Sustainability develops that judgement through the commercial and managerial disciplines behind energy transition programmes. Participants examine energy markets, renewable technologies, energy efficiency, carbon accounting, climate risk, sustainable finance, project valuation, power purchase agreements, grid constraints, procurement and transition governance. They use methods including levelised cost of energy, discounted cash flow, marginal abatement cost curves, the GHG Protocol, ISO 14064-1 and IFRS S2 to assess choices with financial and operational discipline.

Instructor-led delivery combines concise briefings with energy-sector cases, financial modelling tasks, group decision exercises, negotiation simulations and structured application planning. Participants progressively develop a transition business case for a realistic asset portfolio, facility, public programme or corporate energy buyer. They leave with a defensible transition investment and implementation pack containing emissions data, project economics, risk analysis, governance arrangements and performance measures suitable for adaptation to their own employer.

The course suits managers who influence energy use, capital allocation, operations, procurement, sustainability reporting or public policy. It is particularly relevant to professionals working in utilities, oil and gas, manufacturing, transport, real estate, financial services, government bodies and development organisations.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess energy transition drivers using market, policy and technology evidence
  • Calculate Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions using GHG Protocol boundaries
  • Build renewable energy project valuations using discounted cash flow and LCOE
  • Develop marginal abatement cost curves for prioritised emissions-reduction investments
  • Evaluate power purchase agreements, on-site generation and energy storage options
  • Prepare climate-related financial disclosures aligned with IFRS S2 requirements
  • Design transition governance, implementation roadmaps and performance dashboards
  • Present a board-ready energy transition business case with quantified recommendations

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Confidence to challenge energy transition proposals using financial and emissions evidence
  • Practical experience building renewable project business cases and investment appraisals
  • Working knowledge of GHG Protocol, ISO 14064-1 and IFRS S2
  • A structured approach to discussing transition risk with finance and senior leaders
  • A reusable portfolio of energy, carbon and implementation planning documents

For your organisation

  • Better prioritisation of energy investments using cost, emissions and risk criteria
  • More credible emissions inventories and climate disclosures for investors and regulators
  • Stronger renewable procurement decisions across PPAs, certificates and on-site assets
  • Clearer governance for transition targets, capital requests and delivery accountability
  • Reduced risk of poorly evidenced climate claims and uneconomic project selection

Course modules

18 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain the commercial forces shaping energy transition decisions.

  • Energy trilemma trade-offs between affordability, security and emissions reduction
  • Transition pathways compared using demand, supply, policy and investment assumptions
  • Value-chain exposure mapped across fuels, power, materials and customers
  • Physical, transition and liability risks separated for management decisions
  • Corporate net-zero claims tested against targets, boundaries and capital plans
  • Stakeholder expectations analysed from investors, regulators, customers and communities

Participants can interpret energy market signals relevant to business planning.

  • Wholesale electricity prices formed through marginal generation and dispatch rules
  • Fuel-price exposure assessed using gas, coal, oil and biomass indices
  • Capacity markets, balancing markets and ancillary services explained
  • Tariff structures analysed through demand charges, time bands and network fees
  • Hedging choices compared using fixed contracts, swaps and collars
  • Forward curves interpreted for energy budgets and investment assumptions

Participants can compare renewable technologies against site and portfolio requirements.

  • Solar photovoltaic output estimated from irradiation, degradation and capacity factors
  • Onshore wind yields assessed through wind resource and wake-loss assumptions
  • Hydropower, geothermal and bioenergy evaluated against resource constraints
  • Technology maturity compared using efficiency, availability and operating life
  • Site-screening criteria ranked across land, permits, grid access and resource
  • Generation profiles matched against demand shapes and seasonal requirements

Participants can identify and prioritise demand-side energy improvement opportunities.

  • Energy baselines established using weather, production and occupancy normalisation
  • ISO 50001 energy review identifies significant energy uses
  • Energy conservation measures screened by cost, savings and disruption
  • Demand response opportunities assessed against load flexibility and incentives
  • Building controls evaluated through setpoints, scheduling and fault detection
  • Measurement and verification planned using IPMVP options and boundaries

Participants can construct an auditable organisational greenhouse-gas inventory.

  • GHG Protocol organisational boundaries set through equity share and control
  • Scope 1 emissions calculated from stationary combustion and refrigerant data
  • Scope 2 location-based and market-based methods distinguished correctly
  • Scope 3 categories screened for materiality, influence and data availability
  • Emission factors selected by source, geography, year and fuel type
  • ISO 14064-1 inventory principles applied to evidence and documentation

Participants can convert emissions data into prioritised reduction plans.

  • Science-based target components linked to boundaries, base years and trajectories
  • Marginal abatement cost curves rank projects by cost and emissions
  • Avoided emissions separated from inventory reductions and offset claims
  • Carbon prices incorporated into capital appraisal and operational decisions
  • Abatement initiatives sequenced by dependencies, lead times and delivery capacity
  • Residual emissions assessed before carbon-credit procurement decisions

Participants can assess climate risks and prepare decision-useful disclosure inputs.

  • Physical hazards assessed using acute events and chronic climate shifts
  • Scenario analysis tests revenues, costs, assets and financing assumptions
  • Climate risk registers assign owners, controls, indicators and review dates
  • IFRS S2 disclosure requirements mapped across governance, strategy and metrics
  • Transition plans linked to financial planning and capital allocation
  • Adaptation measures prioritised through vulnerability, consequence and feasibility

Participants can formulate an energy transition strategy with clear strategic choices.

  • Strategic ambition defined through cost, resilience, growth and emissions goals
  • Portfolio segmentation separates owned assets, leased sites and supply-chain sources
  • Strategic options assessed using feasibility, attractiveness and organisational capability
  • Decarbonisation pathways compared under base, accelerated and delayed scenarios
  • Capital allocation principles connect targets with investment decision gates
  • Operating-model changes specify accountabilities, skills and decision rights

Participants can build and interpret financial models for renewable energy projects.

  • Capital expenditure schedules separate equipment, development, grid and contingency costs
  • Operating costs modelled through fixed, variable and lifecycle assumptions
  • Levelised cost of energy calculated from lifetime cash flows
  • Discounted cash flow models produce NPV, IRR and payback outputs
  • Sensitivity analysis tests price, yield, inflation and discount-rate assumptions
  • Financing structures compared across corporate funding, debt and project finance

Participants can prepare investment recommendations for transition capital decisions.

  • Investment cases define strategic rationale, scope, benefits and decision required
  • Weighted average cost of capital applied to project discount rates
  • Risk-adjusted returns compare conventional and transition investment alternatives
  • Green bonds and sustainability-linked loans distinguished by financing purpose
  • Bankability assessed through contracts, permits, counterparties and revenue certainty
  • Investment committee papers present assumptions, downside cases and approvals

Participants can select renewable procurement structures suited to organisational demand.

  • On-site generation compared with sleeved, virtual and utility PPAs
  • PPA term sheets review volume, price, tenor and settlement clauses
  • Contracted generation matched against hourly load and residual supply needs
  • Renewable energy certificates assessed for quality, ownership and retirement
  • Additionality evaluated through project timing, procurement influence and location
  • Procurement strategy balances price certainty, flexibility and emissions claims

Participants can assess grid and storage factors affecting renewable project viability.

  • Grid connection studies identify capacity, curtailment and reinforcement requirements
  • Intermittency managed through geographic diversity, flexibility and forecasting
  • Battery storage economics modelled using cycles, degradation and revenue streams
  • Dispatch strategies compare peak shaving, arbitrage and backup applications
  • Ancillary service revenues assessed against technical qualification requirements
  • Microgrid designs evaluate islanding capability, resilience and control systems

Participants can evaluate regulatory and policy effects on transition business cases.

  • Policy instruments compared across standards, taxes, subsidies and mandates
  • Carbon taxes modelled as operating costs and investment drivers
  • Emissions trading systems explained through allowances, caps and compliance periods
  • Permitting pathways mapped for generation, transmission and environmental approvals
  • Regulatory risk assessed through change triggers and contractual protections
  • Public incentives screened for eligibility, timing and reporting obligations

Participants can develop supplier-focused emissions reduction programmes.

  • Spend-based and activity-based Scope 3 estimation methods compared
  • Supplier segmentation prioritises emissions, spend, risk and influence
  • Procurement specifications include carbon data, materials and energy criteria
  • Supplier engagement plans set requests, support, milestones and escalation
  • Product life-cycle assessment boundaries define functional units and stages
  • Contract clauses address data assurance, targets and corrective action

Participants can identify circular operating models that reduce energy and material emissions.

  • Material flow analysis traces inputs, losses, recovery and disposal
  • Circular business models compare reuse, repair, remanufacture and service models
  • Embodied carbon assessed across materials, construction and end-of-life stages
  • Waste heat recovery opportunities screened by temperature, distance and demand
  • Industrial symbiosis identifies by-product exchanges and shared infrastructure
  • Operational KPIs connect resource productivity with energy and emissions results

Participants can establish governance and engagement for credible transition delivery.

  • Stakeholder mapping identifies influence, impact, concerns and engagement approaches
  • Board oversight structures define mandates, information flows and escalation
  • RACI matrices assign transition decisions, delivery actions and assurance roles
  • Just transition considerations address workforce, communities and affordability impacts
  • Materiality assessments prioritise sustainability issues using stakeholder evidence
  • Communication plans distinguish operational reporting, investor disclosure and public claims

Participants can convert transition commitments into managed delivery programmes.

  • Roadmaps sequence initiatives through milestones, dependencies, owners and budgets
  • Programme governance sets steering forums, tolerances and escalation routes
  • Balanced scorecards link energy, carbon, financial and delivery indicators
  • Data-control matrices define sources, calculations, reviews and evidence retention
  • Internal assurance tests inventory controls, project claims and reported metrics
  • Benefits realisation reviews compare forecast savings with verified outcomes

Participants can build, review and present a complete energy transition business case.

  • Baseline energy, emissions, cost and risk data consolidated into decision evidence
  • Strategic options compared through financial returns, abatement and resilience criteria
  • Preferred portfolio supported by LCOE, NPV and marginal abatement analysis
  • Implementation roadmap assigns investments, governance, milestones and accountabilities
  • IFRS S2 reporting implications connected to assumptions, metrics and controls
  • Board presentation defends recommendations against finance, operations and stakeholder challenge

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. GHG Protocol emissions inventory workbook
  2. Marginal abatement cost curve template
  3. Renewable project discounted cash flow model
  4. Power purchase agreement evaluation checklist
  5. IFRS S2 climate disclosure gap analysis
  6. Energy transition business case and implementation roadmap

Who should attend

  • Energy Managers — assess supply, demand and decarbonisation investment choices
  • Sustainability Managers — connect emissions targets with funded operational programmes
  • Finance and Investment Managers — evaluate transition projects, risks and returns
  • Operations and Facilities Leaders — reduce energy cost and site-level emissions
  • Procurement Leaders — structure renewable sourcing and supplier emissions requirements
  • Public-Sector and Development Professionals — appraise energy transition programmes and policy options

Skills and tools covered

Energy market analysisCarbon accountingRenewable project financeClimate risk reportingTransition strategy designEnergy procurement

Tools and standards

GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, ISO 14064-1, IFRS S2, International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol

How the course runs

Training methodology

The programme uses short faculty briefings followed by worked cases from utilities, industrial sites, property portfolios and corporate energy buyers. Participants interpret market data, calculate emissions, appraise investments and compare procurement choices in small groups. Simulations address PPA negotiation, capital allocation and board-level transition decisions. Trainers provide structured templates and feedback as participants apply each method to a selected business context. The final sessions bring financial, technical, reporting and governance decisions into one decision-ready transition case.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have professional experience in energy, operations, finance, sustainability, procurement, infrastructure, policy or a related management function. Familiarity with basic business finance, such as revenue, operating cost, capital expenditure and payback, is helpful. Participants should be comfortable interpreting tables, charts and simple spreadsheet calculations. No engineering degree, prior renewable energy project experience, carbon-accounting certification or advanced financial modelling ability is required. Technical concepts are introduced from a business decision-maker's perspective before participants apply them to cases and planning work.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants need general business experience and basic comfort with financial and operational information. Prior work in energy or sustainability is helpful but not essential, and no engineering qualification is required.

Bring a laptop with spreadsheet software and, where permitted, non-confidential energy, emissions or project information from your organisation. Course templates and case materials are provided.

It is designed for managers who make, influence or scrutinise energy transition decisions. Typical participants work in energy, sustainability, finance, operations, procurement, infrastructure, policy or risk functions.

Technical courses focus mainly on system design, engineering specifications and installation. This programme focuses on business strategy, investment appraisal, procurement, emissions, reporting, governance and implementation decisions.

Participants use reusable templates for emissions inventories, project valuations, renewable procurement reviews and transition roadmaps. The final business case can be adapted to an actual facility, asset portfolio or energy sourcing decision.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first part develops core energy, carbon and finance methods, while later sessions apply them to procurement, governance and the final integrated business case.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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