The SIPA Courses That Shaped My Experience

I’ve had the opportunity to take courses that explore the energy sector from multiple angles—policy, finance, technology, and development as an Energy concentrator at SIPA. What has made my experience so rewarding is the way these courses build on each other, giving me both big-picture insights into the global energy transition and the technical skills needed to work in the field.

Each of these classes stood out for a different reason—some sharpened my analytical thinking, others provided hands-on experience, and many changed the way I think about energy markets, investment, and policy design.

Here’s a look at the SIPA energy courses that had the biggest impact on me and what I’ve taken away from each of them.

Energy Systems Fundamentals – Understanding the Core of the Energy Sector

This specific course was the foundation of everything else I learned at SIPA. I took it during my first semester and it provided a technical, economic, and policy-driven perspective on global energy markets—covering everything from how energy is generated and transported to the financial mechanisms that determine market pricing.

It broke down how different energy systems work, from fossil fuels to renewables, giving me a strong technical grounding in energy production, transmission, and distribution. We examined electricity markets in depth, analyzing how policy, regulation, and infrastructure impact pricing, competition, and investment in the sector. The financial component—how we measure costs, efficiency, and investment risk in energy projects—helped me build a strong base for later finance-heavy courses.

This class gave me the language and conceptual tools to talk about energy like a professional. Understanding how energy markets function, why policies succeed or fail, and how costs are structured has helped me engage more effectively with industry professionals during networking events and even later on in professional settings during my internships.

Renewable Energy Project Finance Modeling – Learning How to Structure and Evaluate Energy Investments

Dare I say the most useful class I’ve ever taken? This was my favorite and one of the most practical and hands-on courses I took at SIPA. It focused on the financial side of renewable energy projects, teaching us how to analyze investment risks, structure project financing, and model different scenarios for profitability.

We built financial models from scratch, using real-world case studies to assess project bankability. The class went beyond theory—we worked with actual project contracts, loan agreements, and power purchase agreements, learning how to evaluate them from an investor’s perspective. Debt sizing, revenue forecasting, and cash flow modeling became second nature after this course, as I had to justify investment decisions based on financial viability rather than just technical feasibility.

This practicum equipped me with financial modeling abilities that I can immediately apply in my career and provided me with a network in the field that is both deep and rich. Being able to read and build financial models, assess project risks, and structure investments is invaluable, and it made me feel far more prepared to work in energy investment and ignited my desire to pursue a career in project finance. 

ESG Reporting – Navigating the Growing Role of Sustainability Metrics in Energy Finance

As the energy transition accelerates, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations are shaping how companies operate, how investors allocate capital, and how governments regulate the industry. In this class, we examined the increasing importance of ESG reporting in financial decision-making, and it allowed me to develop a critical perspective on sustainability metrics and corporate disclosures.

We explored major ESG reporting frameworks (GRI, ISSB, TCFD, etc.) and discussed their influence on investment trends. The class highlighted how investors use ESG metrics to assess financial risks, opportunities, and long-term sustainability. We also looked into the real-world challenges of ESG data collection, disclosure accuracy, and regulatory compliance, which made it clear that not all ESG reporting is created equal.

This course helped me think more critically about how companies present their sustainability strategies and how ESG-linked financial products (such as green bonds or sustainability-linked loans) are changing the energy finance landscape. And the learnings from it followed me to my Captsone project, which focuses on ESG Investments in India; I’ve even had a couple consulting calls with Professor Bukspan while navigating the requirements of the project. Understanding how to analyze ESG data and separate substance from PR is an essential skill, especially as sustainability reporting becomes a regulatory requirement rather than a voluntary practice.

Energy Enterprise & Development – Energy’s Role in Global Economic Growth

I took this class as an elective. Throughout that semester, I got to explore how energy access and infrastructure investment drive economic development, particularly in emerging markets. It provided a policy-driven, development-focused perspective on energy expansion, which was different from the finance-heavy courses I had taken but just as critical in understanding the bigger picture.

The course emphasized the political economy of energy in developing countries, showing how government stability, policy consistency, and financing mechanisms impact energy expansion. We analyzed off-grid and decentralized energy solutions, which are transforming energy access in areas with weak infrastructure. There was a strong focus on how multilateral development banks and private investors structure energy deals in emerging markets. And we had the opportunity to create our own energy-focused enterprise in an emerging market of our choice from scratch, taking into account the policy landscape and financing opportunities in our models.

I gained a much clearer understanding of the policy, governance, and financial challenges that shape energy development worldwide. This class deepened my interest in sustainable energy financing in developing countries and helped me see the broader intersection of energy policy, investment, and economic development.

Infrastructure Investment & Development – Understanding the Capital Behind Large-Scale Energy Projects

Energy projects don’t exist in isolation—they’re part of a massive global infrastructure system, and this course focused on how those systems are financed, built, and maintained.

It dived into different financing structures for energy and infrastructure projects, from sovereign wealth funds to public-private partnerships (PPPs). We looked at how institutional investors approach energy infrastructure, including the trade-offs between risk, return, and long-term sustainability. The class provided a comprehensive overview of how large-scale projects are evaluated from a capital markets perspective.

It also made me think about energy investment beyond just renewables or policy incentives—it forced me to look at how energy fits into a broader infrastructure investment landscape and what makes projects financially attractive at scale.

Finance and Innovation – How Capital Fuels Energy Transition

That short course taught by Frederic de Mariz (a legend in my eyes) explored the financial mechanisms behind clean energy innovation, focusing on how venture capital, private equity, and impact investing are driving the next generation of energy technologies.

We read various case studies of clean energy startups, learning how they navigate financing challenges. The class broke down how policy incentives, market demand, and financial backing interact in scaling new technologies. It emphasized the role of private capital in accelerating decarbonization efforts.

This class helped me understand how early-stage energy technologies move from concept to commercialization and how investors assess financial viability in cutting-edge sectors like green hydrogen, battery storage, and advanced nuclear. The highlight of it was my final project where I identified a weakness in the battery supply chain and created a battery recycling business (again, from scratch) and got to learn potential ways to build financial models for such projects. 

The Economics of Energy – Making Sense of Markets and Policy Decisions

As I am currently enrolled in it, this is one of the most theoretically rigorous courses, focusing on market structure, pricing mechanisms, and policy interventions in the energy sector.

I am currently building on my foundation in energy market design and competition, helping me better understand how electricity markets function and why certain policies work (or fail). We are studying carbon pricing, emissions trading, and regulatory mechanisms, looking at how they influence investment and economic efficiency. It connects economic theory to real-world policy decisions, which makes it incredibly useful for thinking about policy design. I believe that by the end of it, I will have a better understanding of how pricing, regulation, and incentives impact long-term energy transitions.

Each of these courses has shaped the way I think about energy policy, finance, and innovation. SIPA’s Energy curriculum has given me technical knowledge, analytical frameworks, and practical skills that make me more than prepared to engage with the financial, policy, and technological challenges of the energy transition, and I feel more ready than ever to impactfully contribute to the field.