The ReVolting Bolt: Good Energy Index Survey

Everyone talks about the talent challenge in renewables.

But how often do we actually ask the people doing the work how they're feeling?

That's why we're backing the Good Energy Survey from Taylor Hopkinson.

It's not about megawatts or milestones. It's about the people behind them. Are we motivated? Supported? Growing? Or are we quietly looking for the exit?

The survey takes just 10 minutes, it's completely anonymous, and the results will create the Good Energy Index - a benchmark that tracks the health of our industry's workforce year after year.

Take the survey here: https://ex-plorsurvey.com/survey/selfserve/5a9/260451?list=101&utm_campaign=404755674-Good%20Energy%20Index%202026&utm_source=th-website#? 

Your voice matters. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hi, my name is Ina Brosnan.

SPEAKER_00 0:01

I'm John McCaskill.

SPEAKER_01 0:03

And we are the Revolting Podcast. So welcome back, John.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

Yeah, welcome back. Good to see you. Last time was well, we had a wee sort of strategy session in Glasgow, but the last time we were sort of doing a lot was Dublin.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Yeah, I mean it was brilliant in Dublin. I mean it was it was a really, really good um couple of days in Dublin catching up with everyone and and and obviously a really good we'd really a lot of fun doing the podcast. Um yeah, it was it was good fun. But I don't think I don't think anything is hot up since though.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

It's been hot climate week.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Yeah, I mean climate week was absolutely boiling, boiling, boiling, boiling. I had to I had to evacuate out of London come Wednesday after my commitments were the main commitments were done, I just couldn't take it. It was crazy. I mean, look, it's it's it's just ironic. It happened during climate week, and and I heard some of the you know the impacts of of climate change um uh seminars got cancelled, which was quite ironic. But um look, this is the world we're in now, I'm afraid. So um listen, I hope everyone's enjoying their summer. I mean, uh I suppose why we came on today was John and I wanted to take a minute to to shine a light on um the good uh energy index survey, which Taylor Hopkins are leading at the minute. And we thought it was really something that we could play in uh play into, and basically it'd be a really important role for everyone working across the renewables energy sector.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Yeah, and and if you've listened to, you know, uh the revolting podcast uh, you know, for since we started or a few shows, you'll know that we are fascinated by not just the turbines, the cables, the gigawatts, but also the people behind the energy transition and what keeps our talented people in the industry. This is important.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Yeah, absolutely. And I mean Taylor Hopkinson is is looking to address this and have launched the Good Energy Survey Index, which is in essence an independent piece of of research, um, which is is pretty much asking a simple question. What is it actually like to work in the renewables um industry today? And it's not just what's been said in the brochures, what the what the corporates are selling us when we're we're all applying for a job or or cre are you know undertaking that annual review. It's very much oriented around what people really think. And I suppose this is why John and I we've we're highly supportive of something, just to raise the profile on this, because we genuinely think it's important and important to voice the your views.

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Yeah, uh exactly. Um, you know, you know, we both go to conferences, we speak on panels, we do, you know, we we do work when we can. Well, you do more work than I do. Um, but basically, you know, our job is there's a lot of analysis in this, and and as an industry, it's probably one of the most analysed industries in the world. Um and maybe not enough about the actual people deliver it. I mean, we we we love measuring, as we said, you know, the megawatts, the auction prices, the project pipelines, the supply chain, the levelless cost of energy, permitting time timelines, goodness gracious me. But do we, you know, we really measure probably the people, the morale, the motivation, the burnout, the confidence, the pride, the willingness to stay in the industry, the leadership effectiveness. Um, in other words, you know, we probably obsess a lot over our assets, and and maybe do we do enough focus on the humans, the people, us?

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yeah, very true. And I mean, look, our industry has been undergoing a fair bit of flux over the last few years. So, you know, these results will, you know, we'll create the good energy survey index, you know, the pe the industry's first people benchmark as such. So it's something we can build upon and track every year, um, you know, whether we're genuinely becoming a better workplace, um, or whether it's just something that we're standing still, or we lean to you know, areas we do need to genuinely lean into.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Yeah, I mean, and when Taylor Hopkinson approached uh, you know, you you and I, Una, the the the there was um I think it it was it was really interesting for me for all the reasons that we've just met mentioned. But um because it's gonna be an independent for everyone resource for everyone to use, but also it's it's there's some good science behind it. Um taking their lead from this world happiness report that's maybe 15, 20 years old, I can't I don't know exactly, but um I remember it was you know uh David Cameron in the early days when he was hugging hoodies and and and going with huskies and things like this. You know, this was mentioned because the assumption is that GDP alone um you know is is maybe too binary. It's too it's you know it it to tell how a country is really doing. The basic premise is that output matters, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Um and of course, you can apply that to renewables as a sector. So in other words, a sector could be growing while simultaneously losing staff, experiencing staff, suffering burnout, creating these really poor leadership outcomes, uh damaging retention, and and worst of all, possibly discouraging future entrants. Um so a people index becomes an analogous to a well-being indicator. Um not because it's necessarily just a straight objective, but because talent is the you know one of the transition's primary constraints, I think.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

Yeah, absolutely. I mean the energy transition um side has increasingly um been talking about the talent bottleneck rather than the technology bottleneck. We see we hear that at repeatedly at pretty much every single conference we go to. So one of these recurring themes we hear from developers, consultants, OEM, and investants investors is very much that people are the constraint and making sure that you have the knowledge and and I suppose drive and passion for our industry. So basically, if you if we believe that, then understanding the team morale, the motivation, and the retention matters. And you know, it's it's just as important as understanding the auction prices for for renewables as well.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

Yeah. So I'm assuming you're listening to this podcast at the moment. Um, so if you're interested in contributing, what would become a very useful industry benchmark? It's open to anyone in renewables. Take 10 minutes, complete the survey, share it with your team. The more voices, the more, as we know, you know, for all our work, the more data we have, the more meaningful it is. If we can get all you know, multiple technologies, different areas of the project life cycles, the more powerful the results become.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

Absolutely. And so basically, whether you're working offshore, you're on the key side, you're on the construction side, behind the desk, you know, in roles like you know, in in engineering, in finance, in law, in HR, or your leadership. We really want to hear from you. You know, it's it's basically anyone, if you're in renewables, and if a renewables, should I say, is is your world, your voice matters here. So get involved. Um, and one thing worth uh mentioning is the the responses are very much completed anonymously, so nobody's asking anyone to put their name to their views. And this val the value of this study, I cannot uh stress how important this is. You know, it'll be coming from people in our industry. So making sure that you're honestly answering about what's working and what's not working and how we really feel about our sector right now.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

Yeah, this is all about the data being collected, not about sort of hoovering up emails or anything. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna pop well the the the production team who are a lot brighter uh than I am are gonna be popping the survey link below somewhere, round about down here, and in the show notes and obviously on the socials. Because we because the thought when when we were approached, the basically we we thought, well, how can we contribute? Well, maybe we could get the voice out. We can we could basically get a few more people, a few more data points to help uh provide that data to basically help shape the future of our workforce from us. So share it with colleagues, make sure that the people behind the energy transition, us, are heard.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yeah, absolutely. And on the podcast side, John, um, we will very, very, very soon be back to you with you know our next revolting podcast episode. So, you know, we we might be clear of the the industry conference season for this part of the year. Um, it's been fun. We've had loads of um code engagement over the last uh the last six months, I suppose, uh in in renewables. But the fun and games never end. You know, we've got a lot to tuck into in our next discussion. Count bin face and all.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Yeah. Both uh Count Binface and the joke, the other joke candidate in the election. But um, so on that note, really looking forward to the the um what's coming up next. So hopefully everyone else will as well. Remember, please, before to subscribe, really important to subscribe. It really does help the show. Um, it um if you're listening to this, the um the algorithm tends to sort of tell me that uh you're not subscribed. So please subscribe. Um it means you get an alert and it really helps us. Um and yeah, and any comments will be well well welcome as well. So in the meantime, and until we see you again, keep the rotors turning and the heads banging.