Earlier this month, I had the privilege of representing both Nomad Infrastructure and NoBull Energy at two cornerstone conferences for the global energy industry.
I observed not only the breadth of today’s energy systems, from offshore oil and gas to desert-based single-axis solar trackers, but also the diverse policy, geographic, and business environments shaping the future of our sector.
Offshore Europe: A Sector in Flux
Offshore Europe struck me as a curious mix of wind developers and operators, oil and gas service providers, and trade organisations and delegations seeking to navigate the uncertain investment and policy environment in which they are operating. Much of the discussion centred on UK government policy, particularly the Energy Profits Levy, Contract for Difference Schemes for Offshore Wind, and challenges with Interconnection, highlighting the pressure these policies and processes are placing on operators, projects, and the general investment appetite.
RE+: Speed, Scale, and Solar’s Moment
RE+, while positioned as a broad renewables conference, was dominated by photovoltaic (PV) solar and battery storage component and system manufacturers. Wind, geothermal, hydrogen, as well as hydrogen derivatives such as e-fuels, were footnotes in a sea of solar and battery. What stood out most was the sheer scale and pace of innovation in PV modules, battery systems, and balance-of-system components such as trackers, cabling, and inverters in a quest to make the sector, and solar in particular, more efficient and productive.
Despite the looming reduction of certain US tax credits for renewables, few vendors seemed deterred, at least in the short term. Instead, conversations focused on demand from data centres and the continued electrification of transportation, as well as how solar / battery combinations, with their speed to market, will continue to complement gas-fired generation in the near term. As in the UK, interconnections also remain an issue in most parts of the US (e.g., PJM and MISO) but less so in others (e.g., ERCOT). The prevailing emphasis is speed to implementation.
Key Reflections
All Energy Is Needed:
Both conferences reinforced my belief that this is not an era of energy subtraction but of energy addition. According to the IEA and World Bank, as of 2025, “750 million people don’t have access to electricity, and over 1.5 billion still don’t have access to clean cooking fuels”. Access, even in small quantities, is the most basic rung on the energy ladder, let alone higher energy capacity that enables commerce, education, sanitation, and general prosperity. That deficit spans a larger population.
Policies that reduce, no matter how well-intentioned, will ultimately fail under the basic gravity of need. We need more energy from a broader range of sources, delivered more efficiently, and with greater ecological care. Advanced economies cannot function without large volumes of affordable energy, and stepping back from nuclear, oil and gas, or renewables will likely be seen as a policy mistake in hindsight. All is needed. Energy is as foundational to prosperity as education is for future generations; until we reach universal energy abundance, every molecule and megawatt matters.
Harness What You Have:
I was reminded of this principle by childhood memories of an old windmill on my family’s property in rural Kansas. Estimated to be built in the 1930s, it was still pumping water for livestock over half a century later. That simple system endured because it was designed to work with intermittency, not against it.
Seeing Scotland’s wind turbines brought that lesson and the potential opportunity back: Societies function best when they harness the resources available locally and are smart about how they deploy them! Transporting energy always consumes energy, regardless of its form. Producing it near the point of use is typically more secure, efficient, and affordable. Scotland, with its abundant wind and still-significant oil and gas resources, illustrates both the opportunities and the untapped potential in underutilised resources.
Stop Trading Short-term Gains for Long-term Vulnerabilities:
Every energy system has ecological impacts, including those deemed renewables. A clear-eyed understanding of trade-offs is essential. For example, producing polysilicon for solar panels, minerals for batteries, or composites for wind turbines requires an enormous amount of energy and raw materials.
Presenting these systems through a greenwashed lens does not alter their underlying impacts. Continued innovation is necessary to continue reducing the impact of manufacturing and operations, and policy must support this innovation. Trading short-term gains for long-term vulnerabilities will harm future generations, even when it is done with the best intentions.
Innovation Pace & Speed:
Notable from RE+ was confirmation on how rapidly PV solar and storage can be deployed compared to other energy systems, and this pace continues to accelerate. Additionally, PV solar (where solar conditions are suitable) has already achieved price parity or surpassed alternatives. Given these factors, I suspect this is why the general tone was upbeat.
PV solar remains the fastest and one of the lowest-cost options for adding capacity (again, where conditions are compatible). Energy storage technologies are rapidly approaching similar development timelines. This pace of innovation is expanding the value of both new and existing assets, allowing them to be utilised more effectively.
Risk and Capital
Energy systems cannot function, evolve, or be optimised without sustained capital investment AND freedom of capital to choose winners and losers. Investors require risk-adjusted returns that justify the scale and uncertainty of such commitments. While it is true that large profits can be made in specific sectors, there are equally, if not more often, losses, frequently resulting in the company or concern going out of business.
Policies, such as the UK’s Energy Profits Levy, reduce the incentive for development and risk-taking, driving capital elsewhere in the world and reinforcing a cycle of decline and growing dependence on imports. A broad, balanced energy policy environment that recognises both risk and reward, and allows freedom of capital to be deployed to its most efficient use, is the most effective way to promote innovation, emissions reduction, and long-term prosperity.
Genuine Partnerships
A personal reflection from attending both events was the importance of genuine partnerships throughout the project development, delivery, financing, and operations chain. We are in a curious time where there is less of everything available than there is potential demand (fewer developers, financiers, equipment vendors, engineers, constructors, and operators). The most successful coalitions will be those that can assemble partnerships, cooperate, and work together effectively. Without stronger partnerships, progress will remain slower than the urgency of the moment demands.
My time in Aberdeen and Las Vegas underscored the fact that the world needs more energy, which must be affordable, secure, and sustainable. Meeting that need will require innovation across systems, sustained investment, and, critically, genuine collaboration between policymakers, investors, and builders. At Nomad Infrastructure and NoBull Energy, we are committed to that work: bridging the energy gap by combining investment, EPC expertise, and delivery to support projects that meet today’s demands and prepare for tomorrow’s opportunities.
Written by Doug Pickering from Nomad Infrastructure. Nomad Infrastructure is an EPC and investment company with a broad focus on energy and manufacturing projects. It works alongside its partner company, NoBull Energy, a renewable-focused direct hire EPC co-owned by Nomad, which delivers clean energy projects in North America.