This week, Women in Solar+ Europe highlights the insights shared by industry leaders during the panel ‘Impact Leadership in Solar & Storage: securing the energy transition through people, purpose and systems thinking’, hosted by the leadership ecosystem Solar+ Leaders at Solar & Storage Live London. Bringing together voices from across the value chain, it explored how leadership is evolving in response to growing system complexity, skills gaps and the need for better alignment within the sector.
At Solar & Storage Live London this week, the Solar+ Leaders panel “Impact Leadership in Solar & Storage: Integrating Business, Systems & People Intelligence to secure the Energy Transition” explored a defining reality: the success of the energy transition will not only be determined by technology, but by how we lead it.
Claire Gardner, Head of Marketing-Europe at Solis and Ambassador of WiSEu-Women in Solar+ Europe, moderated the session and framed the conversation by bridging technology and leadership, emphasizing that while innovation is accelerating, it is leadership intelligence that will ultimately determine progress: “When we talk about the energy transition, we often focus on the technology. What will differentiate progress, what will avoid delays and really move things forward is leadership and how it is led. It is people who will make that happen.” She emphasized that the qualities often used to describe the sector: resilience, agility and responsibility, are not just technological traits, but leadership traits: “Those same qualities apply to people. It is leadership intelligence, those who lead with that awareness, that will make the real difference.”
From this base, Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of Solar Energy UK, anchored the discussion in purpose, a differentiating force that shapes the sector: “There is a common thread that runs through most people who work in this sector. It is commercial, businesses grow and deliver results, but people choose this sector for a reason. That sense of purpose is not unique, but it is special.”
This sense of purpose lays the foundation, and leadership today is being tested by a rapidly changing and uncertain environment. Zoraida Bejarano, Global Head of Talent, NextEnergy Group, highlighted the human dimension: “We are navigating a complex and challenging moment as an industry, which reflects the wider world in which we operate. As leaders in the energy transition, we must connect with people as they closely monitor their energy bills, global prices and the impact of change on their lives. Leadership cannot ignore that reality. It requires trust, transparency and the ability to respond clearly, while also being honest about the fact that not all answers are available.”
As the industry becomes massively deployed, complexity increases, not just technically, but systemically. Liz Cammack, Non-Executive Director at Solar Energy UK and Member of the Board of Advisors at OpenSolar, described this shift clearly: “The industry has moved beyond early adoption. What lies ahead is mass deployment, and that is the most complex phase. This phase is more price sensitive, demanding and requires clear consumer value. While innovation is progressing rapidly, success now depends on alignment across the value chain. Targets alone are not enough. If manufacturers, distributors, installers and policy makers are not aligned, they objectives will not be achieved. The technology is there, success now depends on leadership.”
This complexity is also reflected in the nature of the work itself. Jonathan Bates, director of Photon Energy, highlighted how the industry is exposing the skills challenge in a very tangible way. “The technical part is actually the easy part. The hard part is the breadth of understanding beyond the technology. You need to understand the types of buildings, the legal frameworks between tenants and landlords, health and safety and financing mechanisms. To operate effectively in this sector you need a whole range of skills. We can’t just pick people off the shelf and expect them to fit into these roles. We need to train, empower and nurture them so they can do their work and their roles. It’s a very varied and complex environment.”
Jonathan also pointed out the structural implications of this challenge, especially at the level of workforce development. We need apprenticeships, we need career paths, and we need a clear vision for people across the supply chain, from those working on roofs to those delivering large-scale projects on site.”
Chris Hewett discussed how the sector can actively address these gaps: “There’s a range of technical skills we need in the sector, but also a range of cross-cutting skills. As an industry we need to be more open to transferring these skills across sectors. People can start in one area and move into solar and energy storage as part of a wider career path, and we can learn a lot from more mature industries. Anyone working in solar needs to become a fast learner. There are so many different skills involved. Across teams, Or Whether it concerns marketing or policy, people are expected to understand complex topics, learn quickly and translate that knowledge into meaningful communication.”
He also highlighted the importance of making these pathways visible: “Through initiatives such as Solar Careers UK, we identify skills gaps, define competencies and identify training pathways. We are now seeing people from different backgrounds actively seeking to enter the sector. That porous nature is essential if we are to attract talent from beyond our traditional boundaries.”
This perspective was reinforced as the conversation turned to leadership capabilities and investment priorities. Zoraida Bejarano highlighted a critical imbalance: “There is significant investment in technology, software and AI. The question is whether the same level of investment is being made in leadership capabilities. Are leaders prepared to respond to uncertainty, communicate change and manage complexity? In most cases, investments in people are not keeping pace with investments in technology.” Bejarano emphasized the importance of transparency in leadership. “People don’t expect leaders to have all the answers. They expect clarity, honesty and understanding of what’s happening within organizations and across the industry.”
Liz Cammack concluded with a reflection that brought the discussion back to the system as a whole: “There is still a lack of alignment and communication between different segments of the industry… leadership needs to become more connected and more willing to prioritize long-term results over short-term profits.”
The message from the panel was clear: the energy transition is no longer just a technological challenge. It is a leadership challenge, one that requires the integration of business intelligence, systems thinking and people intelligence to achieve not only speed, but also resilience, trust and lasting impact.
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