Comment: Design can accelerate green energy transition – here’s how to unlock it

Away from discussion about the likely impact of recent gains by far-right parties on Europe’s green energy transition, an important question remains how best to overcome one of the green transition’s biggest obstacles. The answer is by better harnessing design.

Europe’s roadmap for a climate-neutral Europe is the EU’s answer to the ongoing climate crisis, the Green Deal. Yet according to an Enlit report published earlier this year, having picked off the lowest hanging fruit, Europe’s energy transition has stalled. Nearly two thirds of respondents believe Europe has either lost first-mover advantage or will lose it within five years.

As a designer and strategist, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of design and technology. As a member of the advisory board for Energy Cluster Denmark, which is working to make Denmark a leading nation for innovative and global energy solutions, I've been collaborating with industry leaders to champion the role of design in accelerating the green energy transition locally and globally. I believe that the key challenge hindering the progress of green energy transition is sluggish adoption. 

The adoption challenge

As a people-centred discipline, design is a powerful tool for enhancing user experiences and for re-shaping industry practices – by creating renewable energy software solutions that are more innovative and intuitive, for example, and streamlining workflows – which together can boost adoption rates.

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Yet too many people in the energy industry hold the outdated and misguided view that design is only about aesthetics and UX. In fact, design is a powerful enabler and accelerator of change and the behaviour that drives and embeds it. 

In energy, design’s role extends to architecture and integration of energy management systems as well. Further, a holistic and comprehensive design approach supports sector professionals by streamlining the workflows of those who manage and operate the systems critical to the energy transition.

Design for energy in action

Design can enhance UI for systems operators – making complex digital systems such as smart grid and real-time data monitoring more intuitive, accurate and easier to use by streamlining the user interface or simplifying data visualisation, for example. 

It plays a pivotal role in enabling the robust and flexible integration of diverse energy sources, such as solar and wind, into the existing grid. 

Design is also critical in creating a cohesive energy system as it optimises energy use efficiency across different sources and sectors, such as transportation and heating, through the creation of systems that can communicate effectively across various energy platforms and infrastructures.

It ensures usability and adoption, too, by redefining how information is presented and systems are integrated to make new technologies more appealing and easier for everyone, whatever their level in an organisation, to adopt.

Harnessing the power of design

Enlit identifies design issues including inflexible grid infrastructure, lack of customer engagement, and incomplete digitisation programmes and management systems as barriers. The case for putting people-centric design at the heart of ongoing transformation efforts and digital initiatives is strong.

Steps energy companies can take to place design at the heart of their transition efforts and better harness its full potential include: 

•   Commit to people-centric transformation with a holistic and strategic approach to energy transition that extends beyond the implementing digital solutions. 

True transformation in the energy sector involves integrating advanced digital tools with a comprehensive organizational strategy that encompasses training, cultural adaptation and policy alignment and a people-centric design philosophy is critical for achieving this.

•   Select a digital provider that prioritises adaptability in their design and construction processes, ensuring that solutions can accommodate changes in the green energy sector and the rapid emergence of new technologies. 

Opt for solutions constructed on modular platforms as these platforms facilitate seamless integration and updates, allowing for scalability and the straightforward incorporation of new data sources without the need for a complete system overhaul. 

•   Cultivate a culture that values continuous learning and embraces proactive adaptation. 

Investing in robust training programs is essential to equip employees with the skills necessary to effectively utilise new technologies and digital solutions. Developing forward-thinking policies that anticipate future trends and regulatory shifts is crucial for maintaining compliance and competitive advantage.

•   Engage with stakeholders at all levels - from policymakers to end-users - to ensure that initiatives are well-supported and aligned with broader environmental, social and economic goals. Only by placing people at the centre of the ongoing green energy transition can leaders drive meaningful and sustainable changes.

People-centred design makes new technologies more appealing and easier to adopt, which is essential in conservative sectors that are slow to change. Moving forward, when it comes to facilitating the adoption of green energy solutions, streamlining operational practices, and ensuring systems are intuitive and effective, design has a crucial role to play. 

Katja Egmose, head of Design at technology consultancy Star