The Introvert, the Extrovert, and the Energy Transition.

The work required to transition from carbon emitting to non-emitting power generation for electricity, heat, transport, and energy impacts everyone. That means introverts, extroverts, ambiverts and the broader spectrum of personality traits will be responding to these changes in their own unique ways, all at the same time.

This matters because the energy transition is a human challenge and if we don’t engage with the humans involved we will just end up with some really good models of what could be.

I am a self-declared introvert. Of course, I don’t say this very loudly because, well… see the previous statement. I think I can be outgoing when needed but it costs me something and I have to pay back to that account later with increased introversion. I recently hosted a small event for electricity system operators and utilities. It was interesting to contrast myself against the different personalities participating in the program and to see the layers of corporate cultures and personal expression play out. I watched different speakers appealing to others in the room in various ways and then some good, respectful dialogue.

Sometimes it was a very cerebral connection. The introverted speaker made a compelling point backed by real world experience that had people nodding in understanding. This is incredibly useful at a conference like this. It’s like clicking a ratchet strap one lobe tighter on energy transition action.

I saw others methodically put on the table all of the incredible work taking place around the world to execute on the energy transition. The reaction here is sometimes to see those in the room simply sit back. They aren’t taking notes because there is simply too much to summarize, and it wouldn’t be useful later anyway. The takeaway is simply that there is a whole ton of work going on and if I look up for too long, I will get swamped. I need to focus on my own to-dos and know that there are options if I hit a wall. Perhaps this is the thought process of an introvert at least. A verbal processor may need to talk it out before coming to this conclusion, bringing others along with them as they figure out how they feel about the content.

There was one dynamic speaker who demonstrated so much effort towards energy transition action that they were able to explore each failed pathway on the journey so far that had led them to chase a particular direction. The pace of delivery for the talk was quick and energetic. Others in the room were visibly processing what they were hearing and trying to make the application to their own experiences without losing the narrative so they could participate in the discussion if there was a long enough pause for them to catch up.?

Once, while I was floating from room to room, I saw what I would characterize as a moderately extroverted speaker make a very human connection. Rather than starting with electricity decarbonization action, they talked about leadership. Using impactful examples of how regular people planned well and took responsibility, a hive mentality was able to emerge to save hundreds of lives in the horrific event of the Boston Marathon bombings. One person I saw in the room somehow expressed their internal, complicated emotions without saying a word or moving a muscle.

We took the time towards the end of the event to talk about themes and tasks that we could all take away from our time together. There we some essential points made about topics like communication protocols between distribution system assets and system operations and the impacts of regulations on power generation projects. However, we seemed to gravitate towards the human factors more than the technical ones.

How we communicate electrification and decarbonization is fundamentally important. Aligning on the “why” of the energy transition is still a real struggle. Educating energy users, training new subject matter experts, finding people to join the sector to make all of this possible all seemed to bear more weight than the complex technical efforts that are also required.

It is almost as if you can separate the work functions into things like modelling, planning, operations, etc. but we shouldn’t be so presumptuous to limit the scope of our humanness to fit in those roles as well. If you have an extrovert who is also a data scientist (hear me out!) that person should be encouraged to bring some energy to the group. They should be able to teach, speak, inspire if that’s in them. If there is an introvert in the planning department with growing leadership capabilities, free them up to think strategically about motivating people and managing change.

All types will be needed to combat climate change. We know this. In the electricity sector, it will be important at this point of the energy transition to not confine the personalities in place to strictly defined roles and departments. Change is coming, we can navigate it together as complex humans or fight for the status quo in nicely organized silos.