This article from Jonny Clark, ITPEnergised’s Managing Director was published in Scottish Business News in August 2023.

Environmental and energy consultancies have become increasingly common in today’s world. However, when we founded ITPEnergised a decade ago, with a vision of establishing a relationship-focused renewable energy consultancy, the landscape was quite different. 

Reflecting on the past ten years of the business, I am proud of how far ITPEnergised has come. Our journey began humbly, offering Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) on onshore wind projects, from a small Edinburgh office. By the end of our first year, we had eight team members. Today, we have a team of one hundred technical professionals spread across the UK and overseas. We have successfully executed thousands of complex renewable energy projects, contributing to gigawatts of capacity both domestically and internationally.

Differentiation vital to business success

Differentiation has always been at the core of our approach. We have strived to stand out from our competitors by placing equal emphasis on cultivating strong client and co-professional relationships and adapting our offerings to address evolving business challenges. Building relationships, both with our network of contacts and internally, has been a fundamental pillar of our consultancy ethos. Empowering our staff to achieve the best outcomes, both in their careers and job satisfaction, has always been a priority. These values have remained consistent throughout our decade of growth and evolving service propositions.

In terms of its impact on the renewable energy sector, ITPEnergised provides strategic and technical advice to utilities, developers, corporates, industrials and property sector clients to help them meet their decarbonisation and sustainability goals.  By understanding our clients’ motivations and aspirations, we become their net zero delivery partner. Through our renewable energy consultancy projects and advisory roles with organisations of all sizes, across multiple sectors, both in the UK and worldwide, we are contributing to the global ambition of achieving net zero emissions. On a personal level, my vision has always been centred around seeing people succeed. Witnessing the growth and development of individuals’ careers is fulfilling, and we have heavily invested in talent development within ITPEnergised. I believe creating an environment that fosters success is a fundamental responsibility of all business leaders.

Awareness of market challenges is critical

Over the past decade, we have faced numerous challenges, including macroeconomic and geopolitical events, and most recently, a global pandemic. Throughout these challenges, our ability to evolve and adapt to market dynamics has been a key driver of our sustained growth.

There has been a substantial, positive shift globally over the last decade, as governments, businesses, investors and society in general have become more aware of climate change impacts. There is now a general consensus that action must be taken on decarbonisation and the energy transition has to happen, now.  

Understanding our clients’ aspirations and the challenges that keep our clients awake at night, and providing solutions aligned with their needs, has been instrumental to our success. 

This market awareness and our adaptability is part of our DNA. We are continually futureproofing our offerings, for example, through our digital product and services development, to directly address market challenges. As the energy transition gathers pace, we are increasingly reliant on technical innovation as well as financial investment to help us deliver net zero. We also need experienced people equipped with niche skills to enable us to deliver the growing number of projects in our key sectors: onshore renewables and storage; offshore wind; corporate; industrial and manufacturing. We are investing in young talent, and bringing on board exceptional graduates to be nurtured, trained and developed into the senior consultants of the future.  

Our commitment to this is being recognised in the industry, with a win at the Scottish Renewables Young Professionals Green Energy Awards in 2022, two of our team were also shortlisted this year in the Project Development and Engineering categories and we are delighted to be nominated for the People & Culture Award at the Scottish Renewables Net Zero Transition Awards.

People are front and centre

Throughout our journey over the last decade, the most profound lesson I have learnt is that it is all about the people. The goodwill of colleagues, co-professionals and clients we work with plays a crucial role in the success of the business. While maintaining technical excellence has been a priority for ITPEnergised, it is equally important to work with the right people.

I personally benefited greatly from conversations and advice I received before establishing ITPEnergised. Therefore, I always make an effort to be available and offer support to aspiring entrepreneurs and people starting out in a new venture, as I understand the value and appreciation such guidance can bring.

To any budding entrepreneur, I advise thorough planning and speaking to as many other entrepreneurs and business owners as you can. Starting a business often takes twice as long and costs twice as much as anticipated. However, if you believe in what you’re doing, have confidence and go for it!

Of course, a solid strategy is also essential for success, as is a clear value proposition. You must understand why you’re in the business and what you stand for. For me, and all the team here, it’s our passion for net zero that drives us. 

As ITPEnergised continues to thrive, I am confident that our strategy and commitment to client relationships, innovation, and talent development will enable us to remain at the forefront of the renewable energy consultancy sector, though we are never complacent. We will continue to adapt, grow, and contribute to the collective effort of achieving a sustainable, decarbonised future and are looking forward to the next 10 years and beyond.