Corporate Entrepreneurship and Risk in the Renewable Energy Field
Alexandra Chinie, Roxana Clodnitchi

Abstract
The challenge to meet the world’s energy needs with energy from renewable sources needs to be accompanied by efforts to understand what drives the development of the renewable energy field, and which factors may hinder its growth. While uncertainty regarding renewable energy regulations is considered a risk to the further development of the renewable energy business, energy providers also face lower demand and lower market prices. Assessing the strategic position towards risk in energy companies and diversifying companies with no energy background may contribute to the understanding of the transition phenomena from conventional energy to renewable energy, a process which is sustained by entrepreneurial companies. The present paper aims at reviewing the main risks of renewable energy businesses and studying the risk-taking characteristics of companies that have invested in the field following a corporate entrepreneurship strategy. The research relies on the current body of literature and on a multiple case study of 30 companies. The results outline how the company’s perception towards risk may influence the risk-taking entrepreneurship characteristic, as well as the fact that newer, improved technologies may depend on smaller companies rather than energy corporations.

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