· 5 min read
The original promise
When I first wrote about the energy transition, I described it as a necessary transformation, an evolution from an energy system built on fossil carbon to one anchored in renewables, efficiency, and electrification. The logic was simple. A world powered by coal, oil, and gas is not only environmentally unsustainable, but also economically inefficient and geopolitically fragile. The energy transition was never just about decarbonisation; it was about building a modern, secure, and equitable system for powering human progress.
That logic remains as compelling as ever. Yet, nearly two years later, the momentum seems to be waning. The sense of inevitability that once surrounded the clean-energy revolution is giving way to hesitation, second-guessing, and a creeping fatigue.
The signs of a slowdown
In Europe, renewable deployment has slowed, permitting delays persist, and investment decisions are being postponed. Globally, political attention is fragmenting as economic headwinds and security crises push climate and energy policies down the agenda. Even the language has changed: where we once spoke of “acceleration,” we now speak of “balance” or “pragmatism”, useful words perhaps, but often code for delay.
This slowdown is not a technical failure. The technologies work. Wind, solar, batteries, and heat pumps have all proven their cost-competitiveness and reliability. It is not even a financial failure, as global capital for clean energy remains abundant. What we are witnessing is, instead, a loss of narrative drive, a softening of political will and public imagination.
The energy transition was always about more than megawatts and tonnes of carbon. It was about a vision of modernity that was cleaner, fairer, and more self-reliant. When that vision fades, spreadsheets alone cannot sustain momentum.
Why the case is stronger than ever
If we step back to the fundamentals, the rationale for the transition has only strengthened. The scientific imperative is clearer, with every climate record being broken faster than the last. The economic rationale has deepened, as renewable energy becomes not a subsidy-dependent alternative but the cheapest source of new power almost everywhere.
And the geopolitical case has become painfully obvious: the fossil economy still concentrates power in the hands of a few producers, while renewables distribute opportunity across many. In short, the world’s energy logic has changed, but our politics has not kept up.
The energy transition was never meant to be smooth. As I wrote in the book’s introduction, it is a system transformation, not a simple substitution of fuels. It touches everything — industry, housing, transport, agriculture, finance, labour markets, even culture. That is why progress cannot be measured in megawatts alone but in the integration of technologies, policies, and behaviours.
The danger of delay
The danger today is that the transition slows just when it should be accelerating. Inflation, high interest rates, and global uncertainty have combined to make clean-energy projects look riskier, while fossil energy once again appears stable and familiar. But familiarity is not security. Every year of delay deepens exposure to volatile fuel prices, to import dependencies, and to the economic shocks that follow. The illusion of safety in the status quo is just that, an illusion.
For Europe in particular, this is more than a climate issue. It is a question of industrial relevance. The world’s next growth engines, clean manufacturing, hydrogen, energy storage, and critical-material processing, are forming now. If Europe slows while others sprint, it risks losing both competitiveness and credibility. The transition is not a burden; it is a race for the industries and technologies that will define the coming decades.
Remembering what the transition is about
Re-reading my own earlier arguments, I am struck by how much remains true. The energy transition is about redesigning our energy architecture into something integrated, flexible, and low-carbon. It is about creating new forms of value that do not depend on burning resources but on deploying ingenuity. It is about re-anchoring security, not in fossil reserves but in innovation, efficiency, and partnership.
Those ideas have not aged; they have become more urgent. What has changed is that they now need to be defended again, against apathy, against distraction, and against the false comfort of incrementalism.
Reclaiming momentum
So how do we correct the course? We begin by restoring ambition. The transition has always required courage, political, industrial, and social. We need governments to provide regulatory certainty and long-term visibility. We need investors to stay patient and bold, understanding that infrastructure transformation is not a quarterly exercise. We need the public to see that decarbonisation is not an elite obsession but a pathway to lower bills, cleaner cities, and better lives.
And above all, we need to tell the story again, clearly, convincingly, and without apology. Because ultimately, the energy transition is not slowing down because it is too hard, but because we are forgetting why it matters.
A project worth remembering
We are losing sight of the fact that the transition was never only a climate agenda; it was a project of renewal, of self-determination, of collective progress. The technologies are ready, the economics are sound, and the alternatives are unacceptable. What’s missing is the narrative that ties it all together: a reminder that the transition is not about sacrifice but about building something better.
We stand at a crossroads where complacency feels tempting. But history rarely rewards those who hesitate at moments of transformation. The energy transition was, and still is, the defining project of our century. It deserves to be treated as such, not with weariness, but with conviction.
If the transition seems to be slowing, it is not because the goal has lost relevance, but because the world has lost focus. It is time to regain it. The destination has not changed; only our stride has. And there is no reason, technical or moral, why we cannot pick up the pace again.
illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.
Track the real‑world impact behind the sustainability headlines. illuminem’s Data Hub™ offers transparent performance data and climate targets of companies driving the transition.
