The Clean Energy Shift Businesses Can't Afford to Miss

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-13

Running a business on clean energy every hour of the year sounds like a tall order. Dr. Jan Rosenow sees it as one of the most exciting areas of innovation in cutting carbon emissions today. He's an energy and climate policy specialist who has advised the International Energy Agency, the United Nations, and the European Parliament. In this exclusive interview, he explains why he stays optimistic about the energy transition and where businesses can actually make progress. From round-the-clock clean energy to electrification and the European Green Deal, he walks through the opportunities on the table and the first steps companies can take to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. ### Moving Beyond Offsets to Real Abatement For years, businesses bought certificates that let them say, "We're carbon neutral. We've offset our emissions." Rosenow calls that the old world of carbon abatement. Now companies are shifting toward what he calls real carbon abatement. That means making sure they run on clean energy not just across a given year, but every hour of that year. "We're seeing a lot of companies moving into that space of 24/7 clean energy, and that is where a lot of the innovation is happening," he says. "It's hugely challenging, but also very exciting." ### Why He Stays Optimistic Rosenow has heard the same doubts for years. People say the transition is too difficult, that it won't work, that it's too expensive. Then you fast forward a decade or two. The transition turns out faster than most predicted, cheaper than expected, with costs falling further than anyone guessed. He believes learning effects and innovation will overcome many of these challenges, and that businesses play a pivotal role in making that happen. ### The First Step Is a Commitment So where should a company start? Rosenow keeps it simple. The first step is to make a commitment to move away from fossil fuels toward clean energy carriers. After that, companies need people who know exactly how to get there, experts who can build a road map toward that ambition. ### Businesses Are the Engine of the Transition Here's the part people often overlook. The energy transition isn't delivered by governments alone. It's delivered by businesses building the infrastructure, getting clean energy technologies to consumers, and developing the financial models that make the investments possible. "There's a huge role for business in the energy transition," Rosenow says. He sees so much innovation coming out of companies small and large that he believes we're already further ahead than many realize. ### A Once-in-a-Generation Opening The European Green Deal is a massive undertaking, and Rosenow frames it as a once-in-a-generation chance for Europe to move away from fossil fuels toward clean energy. There are real opportunities for businesses to benefit from the incentives being put in place, whether that's building out renewables or decarbonizing the energy supply. The Green Deal, in his view, will act as both a platform and an accelerator for the transition across Europe. ### Electrification Is the Biggest Lever When it comes to lowering emissions, electrification stands out as the most important lever in the global economy. Analysis from the International Energy Agency and other organizations backs this up. > "Electrification is the most important lever to lower emissions in the global economy." The takeaway for business leaders is clear. Commit to clean energy, bring in the right expertise, and treat electrification as a priority rather than an afterthought. The transition is moving faster than the skeptics expect, and the companies that move early tend to be the ones that benefit most.