My RE POV in June 2021
The following point-of-view represents my current understanding of the renewable energy space as it is coupled to the larger Energy Transition movement and ultimately being propelled by the looming(!) climate crisis.
After a few more months of reading and research, I feel prepared to formally update my point of view, or more specifically, to outline what I think the most interesting challenges in the Renewable Energy space will be for a Software Product Manager like me.
The Renewable Energy topic is too broad
I started this journey by pointing myself down the Renewable Path, which I still consider a smart decision. Renewable energy is such a rich topic and there is so much to explore, but each new subject area only points me to more, related issues.
When I try to engage in conversations with colleagues or friends, I often have trouble knowing where to start and how to decide on a suitable topic that will appeal to them. For example, if the conversation was initiated around the broader climate crisis, I would happily discuss how renewable energy offers viable alternatives for a much cleaner environment by avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. But most people are only casually aware of solar panels and wind turbines and would not have an appreciation for the challenges associated with just these options - before we even get to talk about hydro, nuclear, geothermal or biofuels!
The EV discussion is bigger than just your new Tesla. We need to think about every vehicle on and off the roads. Image credit here.
And if instead, we start talking about electric vehicles, I’d want to steer the conversation toward broader electrification efforts (pun fully intended). But that would require a broader understanding of why we need to go beyond consumer transportation to look at all vehicles that currently run on gasoline or diesel, including medium & heavy duty trucks as well trains, ships and planes.
And just focusing on the transportation sector is not giving proper attention to the whole electrification story. We should also be talking about the massive challenges associated with modern industrial agriculture not to mention all the steel and concrete and plastic we will be manufacturing over the next 30-50 years!
My point is that there is way too much information related to renewable energy for most people to understand, much less relate to. I/we must find more effective ways to engage with our respective circles.
The Energy Transition is an easier starting point for me
This is where I want to focus my attention going forward. As I mentioned above, I find the broad Renewable Energy problem space a little daunting. Navigating it for my own career progression is challenging as an Energy N00b (not to be confused with NOOB Energy drink;-).
So instead, I’m reframing my own exploration around the burgeoning Energy Transition and that has helped me narrow my scope and better identify opportunities for my professional career. But even that needs proper decomposition - which is my specialty.
Over the last 6-9 months, I have been note-taking in multiple journals, burning through post-its, expanding my mind map and even crafting makeshift white boards to use on my road trips - all to help me organize my thoughts. Through these activities, I have been able to map out broad categories to group topics, and also identify particular areas of interest for me.
My research is not quite as inspired as Charlie’s conspiracy theory.
My Energy Transition categories
This is how I’m currently grouping ideas and topics:
Social & Environmental Impact
Public Policy & Regulations
Charitable & Non-Profit
Transformative Technologies
Economic Prosperity
Finance, Investment & Banking
Industry Analysis & Thought Leadership
I’ve been able to use these buckets to help me make sense of all the content I’m consuming. Establishing these categories has also helped me in conversations with others as we will invariably stray from one subject to another and I sometimes struggle to navigate. There are so many connections among these categories of course that no meaningful discourse will be contained in a single space.
Where I’m diving deeper
I have a software/technology background and so it should not be surprising to see me leaning more toward the topics under Transformative Technology. But I am also finding it valuable to dig into more of the Economic Prosperity parts as well since almost every Energy Transition initiative is tethered in some way to improving the lives of everyone on the planet.
And I very much want to be conscious of the Social & Environmental Impact issues here too, especially as it is clear to me that much of the urgency for a Transition is being driven by advocates in this category.
Are some topics less useful that others? Absolutely not. But to ensure that my own path becomes increasingly clear over time, I must look to reduce the many distractions that would otherwise slow me down.
Conclusion
I have really only started this journey but have found that my own tried-and-true methods for information discovery and synthesis are helping me navigate the vast RE space.
At this particular milestone, I have determined that the best path forward is to use the Energy Transition movement to guide me. I am convinced that my professional career will focus on helping with this global effort and I’m excited to become another active contributor.