Renewables as the 21st century energy

As we navigate the energy transition, the economic advantages of renewable energies are becoming undeniable, especially when compared to fossil fuels – and I would (maybe boldly) say that this is like comparing 21^st and 19^th century-developed technologies. Both technology systems have very different economic and financial playbooks, with renewables typically requiring bigger capex, but then with considerable advantages when we look at operational costs at scale – I have seen figures that point out to less than half of fossil’s operational costs per MWh. It’s also worth noting that R&D focus on renewables has also been driving capex requirements down – and this is expected to keep on going for, at least, the next couple of decades. Renewables also offer long-term savings by eliminating fuel costs and reducing exposure to price volatility, while fostering energy independence.

 

Let’s not downplay fossil. Fossil fuels were instrumental in powering industrial growth during the 19th and 20^th centuries, and are a proven and tested technology, easy to implement and to run – and that probably plays a lot on the importance of coal on today’s energy grids (and, by the way, they are independent from the weather and day/night transitions). But their finite nature, higher operational costs, and reliance on volatile markets present significant challenges today (and I am leaving environmental external costs aside, on purpose). Renewables, on the other hand, are abundant (virtually infinite), with lower opex and aligned with modern economic priorities like energy security and electrification.

 

On the long-run, and at scale, it’s probable that fossil fuel-based economies will be facing a significant economic disadvantage when compared to the ones that combine renewable sources and smart-grids. What I am saying here is that it is foreseeable that products produced under fossil fuel-based systems will be naturally more expensive. And so, that economies that are not already transitioning to renewables (and that are trying to protect their fossil fuel systems through state sponsored initiatives) will probably be playing in an uneven (against them) field in the medium term.

 

Prioritizing renewable energy solutions is not only an environmental and quality of life imperative but a smarter economic choice for the future. The shift to 21st-century energy is here – so, let’s embrace it!

Professor Mark Fritz on Leadership

Today I was lucky enough to be at a conference listening to Mark Fritz about leadership (courtesy of IE Business School and PwC Portugal), and there were a couple of messages that came through as especially important:
- the importance of driving clarity of objective, target and purpose to the team, in order to empower them to own the outcomes;
- that leadership is a lot more about asking than telling
- and that as a leader, one of your roles is that "your how is who" - meaning, you know the objective, you need to find the right person to do the job.

But then, there was another snippet - a quick sentence Mark said, jokingly, but that, for me, is a true statement about companies social cultures:
- "Great leaders share their weaknesses because their people already know them".

Do you share your weaknesses - or do you let your teams find them out by themselves and own your narrative? 

On diversity and inclusion

I think there is a strong misconception going on in some circles. Diversity and inclusion in business is not about justice. Well, it actually is, but only partially. Diversity and inclusion is also about making sure we all have equal ground, the same opportunities, smoothing biases, to let the best talent come forward.

And the best talent is the one that will do a better job. Perform the best. Generate more value. Create more value for the company and shareholders. Make a business more successful.

So, what I am saying here is quite simple. If you let biases come in the way of your talent development and team building, your business won’t be as successful. Period.

Now, it’s your turn to choose what you want.

How to use Gen AI to get early feedback on prototypes

When developing an innovative product, getting early feedback from your target personas is critical to refining your prototype (whether physical, digital or even a communication asset). AI tools can help you with this, by giving you early and quick feedback at an early stage. They can help you simulate user interactions and identify usability issues before involving real users. This approach not only saves time but provides actionable insights to improve your design early on. How do you do it? Well, with “people” of course!

So, you start by creating detailed personas that reflect your target audience – and knowing your target is always the secret. With Gen AI, you can generate dynamic personas by feeding it demographic details, behaviors, goals and pain points. For example, you might ask ChatGPT to create a persona for a busy parent who struggles with meal-planning – be as detailed in the arguments you throw to the AI model as you can and demand it to generate a persona as complete as possible. These personas form the foundation for realistic simulations that mimic how users might interact with your prototype.

Then, input your prototype directly into the AI model by uploading screenshots, wireframes, or even interactive mockups (alternatively, if your model can’t analyze visuals directly, describe them in words). The model can analyze these visuals and simulate interactions step-by-step. For instance, if you’re testing an e-commerce site, upload images of the homepage, product pages, and checkout flow. Assign a goal - like purchasing shoes - and let the AI simulate how different personas navigate through the process. Its recognition capabilities allow it to identify usability issues such as unclear buttons or confusing layouts.

Don’t’ stop there. To uncover friction points, introduce challenges or ambiguities in the prototype and ask the AI to respond as the persona would. For example, you might upload a product page with a poorly placed “Add to Cart” button and ask how this affects the persona’s experience. The AI can then analyze spatial relationships within the image and provide feedback like: “The button is too small and located far from the product description - it’s easy to miss.” This level of detail helps pinpoint design flaws early, so you can correct them fast.

Finally, use these insights to iterate on your design and test again with refined visuals. And do it over and over again, always changing your prototype, accommodating feedback, testing different solutions or dimensions. Because this is the point – Gen AI’s ability to analyze updated prototypes ensures you’re continuously improving usability based on actionable feedback. Of course, it is not perfect, but this process allows you to give an efficient first step in identifying issues before real testing begins. The goal of this early loop is not to get it right, but to get it better before you start testing with real people, accelerating the process and making it cheaper.

Investment in Sustainability is still seen as a competitive advantage

Business leaders have been navigating a very uncertain policy context – just think on the impact of the tariffs wars, regulatory rollbacks and an overall pushback against climate progress in the US. Still, what we are seeing is also a strong momentum that drives Sustainability practices and innovation through that uncertainty. And that is because… it’s the right thing to do from an economic and business perspective:

1)     - Let’s think about energy generation. “Clean energies have already reached a tipping point that drives innovation costs down and performance upward”, and that means solar and wind are now the cheapest energy sources in most markets. https://fortune.com/2025/03/18/clean-technology-climate-policy-environment/

2)      - A recent survey of CFOs, conducted by BDO, highlighted that over 75% of them are increasing maintaining sustainability investments, as they look at its innovation and new business opportunities as primary and strategic benefits.

3)      - 85% of supply chain executives (on a Prologis study) reported they looked at Sustainability as a core objective, mainly because of its importance on efficiency, energy usage and cost reliability, waste management and access to circular economy benefits (I suspect this is about raw materials’ availability). This reflects the urgent need for future-proof strategies that align environmental goals with operational resilience.

 

So, the momentum around sustainability continues to grow, even amidst policy uncertainty. And that is because it's becoming increasingly clear that sustainability (especially when mixed with innovation) is not just a trend—it’s a strategic advantage.

Get there early!

"Get there early"! Sometimes it is a simple recommendation - "get there early so you can get the best seats in the house", "get there early so you adapt yourself to the context", "get there early so you can have great conversations". We all play this logic in our heads.

But "Get there early!" is also a business statement. "Get there" means an action, a direction, somewhere you want to be, actually a vision or a goal. "Early" means in the right timing, probably before the masses arrive, so you can carve an advantage. So, for businesses, it is a strategy - it is about finding new markets, new products, new customers, ahead of the competition.

When I look at the next ten years, I see the future being driven by technology, sustainability (oh yes, unfortunately, we will be talking a lot about this) and people. For any business, my recommendation would be to start working in that future - "Get there early!" so you can play from a vantage point.

The hour seems dark

The hour seems dark for many. All across the last few weeks, I heard similar questions on the Sustainability meetings I attended. “Is organization X still committed to its ESG targets?”; “How will the Board react to the investors increasing pressure to deliver immediate results vs the longer-term sustainability commitments?”. I read a similar tone in the Women’s Day posts of the past weekend. Good people (some of them the most competent, professional, intelligent I ever met) expressed their concerns, said they feel the world is moving backwards on Women’ Rights. I read all of these, and I nod, I understand.

But I then have a “but”. “But…”. But… these were never short-term fights. But… we always knew these changes take time. But… we need to recognize that progress is made of backs and fore’s. But… we should remind ourselves that we are not alone, we are millions, we are committed.

But… We are not doing it only for ourselves. We are doing it for the ones who depend on our will, on us. The ones who don’t have a voice that is strong enough, that are invisible to the masses, that feel they don’t have any power (but should have). The ones who are balancing between what is right or immediate. The ones… well, the ones that we are raising, that we commit to with everything we have.

But… as Victor Hugo once said “You can’t stop an idea whose time has come”. And these ideas, a better planet for all of us, freedom, the right to be different and voice a different opinion, a different way of doing things, globally. Well, they just sound like, you know, “the future”. That we are all shaping.

P.S- And yes, there is an incredible and proven business value in all I have written. Maybe one just needs the right attitude to unlock it, now and for the future. And shape and grab the opportunities on days to come (and that might be tomorrow, really).