Stories
Stories
Fueling a sustainable enterprise in Brazil
Ana Maria Diniz (OPM 36, 2007) found a way to convert elephant grass into clean energy. She combined her interest in renewable energy and her keen business sense to cofound Sykué Bioenergya SA, which provides equivalent power to 200,000 Brazilian homes.
When cut, dried, and burned, the cane-like grass native to Africa generates 25 times as much energy as fossil fuel, thanks in part to a remarkable annual average yield of 30 to 40 tons of biomass per hectare. By comparison, the energy balance ratio of corn ethanol is around 1 to 1, while sugarcane ethanol is about 8 to 1.
Brazil is already almost entirely fossil fuel independent, relying primarily on hydroelectric energy for its grid electricity and sugarcane ethanol to fuel its cars. Diniz, formerly a high-level executive at retail giant Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição, supports her country’s focus on alternative energy sources. “I wanted to invest in something that was sustainable in the new economy and offered a good ROI,” she explains.
(Published April 2014)
Support the next generation of leaders Make a gift nowPost a Comment
Related Stories
-
- 01 Dec 2023
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Elevator Pitch: Feedback
Re: Laxmi Stebbins Wordham (MBA 2001); By: Illustration by Drue Wagner; Photo by ChiChi Ubiña -
- 01 Jun 2023
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Batteries Included
Re: Steven Henderson (MBA 2016); John McCown (MBA 1980); By: Catherine O’Neill Grace -
- 01 Jun 2022
- HBS Alumni Bulletin
Research Brief: Weatherproofing Renewables
Re: Jorge Tamayo (Assistant Professor of Business Administration); By: Jen McFarland Flint -
- 14 Jan 2022
- Making A Difference
Power Play
Re: Rahul Advani (MBA 2004); Sara Graziano (MBA 2011); Chris Smith (MBA 2001)
Stories Featuring Ana Diniz
-
- 04 Aug 2015
- HBS Alumni News
Brazil Alumni Connect Around a ‘Vision’ for the New HBS
Re: Andre Jakurski (MBA 1973); Ana Diniz (OPM 36) -
- 01 Sep 2011
- Alumni Stories
Green Day
Re: Erl Lorentzen (MBA 1948); Mark Tercek (MBA 1984); Hansjorg Wyss (MBA 1965); Erika Diamond (MBA 2007); Annie Davis (MBA 2007); Ana Diniz (OPM 36); Michael Skelly (MBA 1991); Rao Mulpuri (AMP 171); Mike Armsby (MBA 1997); Stu Evans (MBA 1973); By: Julia Hanna;Sarah Auerbach