A couple of months after Intersolar Europe, the conversations are still continuing. While BESS, grid infrastructure, renewables and data centres dominated much of the discussion in Munich, the conversations that have stayed with me have been less about the technology itself and more about the people needed to deliver it.
In the weeks since the event, I've had a number of follow-up conversations with clients, and one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the market isn't necessarily hiring more people, it's hiring more selectively.
Technical capability is still the starting point, but hiring managers are looking much more closely at whether candidates have the right project experience, a real grasp of the local language and culture, and the ability to join a team and make a difference from day one.
Across Germany's power, renewable energy and industrial markets, larger projects bring more interfaces, greater mobilisation pressures and even less room for a poor fit. The message from Munich was clear. As Europe's energy, BESS and data centre pipelines grow, hiring decisions are being shaped by delivery risk as much as technical skill.
BESS is moving from conversation to delivery
BESS was one of the hot topics at Intersolar, but this time around there was a shift. Battery Energy Storage is no longer being treated as an early-stage opportunity sitting somewhere on the edge of the energy market. More projects are moving from planning into delivery, bringing a different kind of pressure.
Where managers may have previously hired someone with broader renewables experience, they're now looking much more closely at the types of projects candidates have delivered, whether they've worked across multinational teams, and how quickly they can settle into site requirements.
A strong commissioning engineer or controls specialist can make a real difference on a BESS project, but only if they can work with the pace, expectations and project interfaces already in place.
As BESS becomes a more established part of Europe's energy strategy, it was clear at Intersolar that conversations around hiring are becoming much more specific.
Grid infrastructure is still shaping project timelines
Grid infrastructure came up in most conversations during my time in Munich. There are plenty of projects with serious investment behind them, but many developers are struggling with connection times and network capacity, more so than technology or finance.
When a project is ready to mobilise, that uncertainty can become a real blocker. A freelancer who was available during early conversations may already be committed to another project by the time work can start, making workforce planning all the more difficult.
For candidates, it creates stop-start conversations around roles that may be technically strong but are still dependent on programme movement, approvals or grid timing.
Of the businesses I spoke to, the ones handling this well are those who stay close to the market. They know which skills are likely to be harder to find, which contractors are about to become available, and where local language or compliance requirements may slow the search down.
The skills shortage is now more specific
One trend that came through consistently at Intersolar, and has continued in conversations since, is that clients aren't necessarily hiring more people. They're hiring more selectively.
Rather than simply asking for a Commissioning Engineer, they're increasingly looking for someone who has commissioned utility-scale BESS, worked with a particular PCS or SCADA platform, understands local grid and compliance requirements, and can integrate quickly into a multinational project team.
Commissioning and electrical engineers, controls specialists, construction managers and HV experts remain in high demand across Europe, but the brief is getting tighter. Recruitment is becoming less about finding an available engineer and more about finding someone with proven experience of delivering in that particular environment.
References and project history are carrying more weight alongside technical skills. A CV can list the right systems and environments, but hiring managers want evidence that the person can work under the pressure of a live project.
Delivery depends on how well teams work together
Many people at Intersolar told me how their developers, EPCs, OEMs and consultancies are working more closely now, particularly because projects are growing in scale and are too interconnected for loose handovers.
A delay in one part of the programme can quickly affect the next stage, especially where grid connection, commissioning windows, equipment availability and site teams are all moving around each other.
The same is true when clients are bringing freelance support into a project. A contractor may have the right technical background, but they still need to work within the existing demands, culture and expectations of an established team.
As a result, businesses are also reviewing how they judge their talent partners. A generic shortlist is not much use if the candidates don't match the country, project stage, language requirements or compliance process. Organisations need people who can be presented with enough detail to make a proper decision, not just a CV that looks like a match.
The conversation has moved towards delivery
There was still a lot of optimism around Europe's energy transition during Intersolar, but the difference is the focus on delivery.
Project pipelines are active, but getting work moving across borders is rarely simple. Hiring plans have to account for local language requirements, different onboarding processes, compliance checks, contract models, and candidate availability that can change quickly once good people finish one project and choose the next.
That's the part I hear most often in conversations with clients: the project may be European, but the problem is often very local. A contractor who works well in one market may not be the right fit for another if the documentation, site communication or compliance process is different.
Clients are looking more carefully at that now, especially where delivery teams are already stretched.
What this means for project hiring
The strongest conversations in Munich were focused on whether project teams can get the right people in place at the right point.
Across Germany's power, renewable energy and industrial markets, I'm seeing clients look more closely at freelance support to meet live project demands, where commissioning windows, controls work, HV packages and construction programmes leave little room for a search that starts from scratch.
Intersolar was a useful reminder of how much confidence there still is across the European energy market. The projects are there, but increasingly, successful delivery depends on finding people with the right experience for the specific project, market and stage of delivery.
If you would like to discuss freelance or contract support across Europe's power, renewable energy or industrial sectors, click here to book a call with me or email me at j.turnpenny@jam-talent.com.
