The energy transition runs on good people. Here’s what that means for France and Belgium
Across these two countries, the projects, investment and ambition are there. What I hear most from clients right now is that finding and keeping the right people is the hardest part. That’s a fundamental shift from three years ago.
Capacity keeps growing, but delivering the energy transition is less about how much we build, and more about who builds it, operates it, and builds on it over time. Both Belgium and France are ambitious, active markets. But the next phase of growth is being shaped by system complexity, tighter regulation, and more advanced technologies. That naturally changes the skillsets companies need, and shifts the career paths that professionals are building.
Increasingly, the success (or failure) of a project comes down to whether the right expertise is in the room when it matters most.
Through my work at Taylor Hopkinson, I spend a lot of time speaking with both hiring managers and renewable professionals. Those conversations give a very real picture of where the market is moving, what skills are becoming scarce, and where opportunities are opening up. Here’s what I’m seeing and hearing right now.
Across Belgium and France, projects are becoming more complex and interconnected. Storage, grids and digitalisation are reshaping the skills companies need — and talent is increasingly the real differentiator.
Belgium: a mature market demanding advanced skills
Belgium has built one of the most advanced renewable ecosystems in Europe, particularly in offshore wind, onshore wind and solar. As the market matures, the focus naturally moves beyond simply delivering new projects toward optimising performance, integrating assets and managing increasingly complex systems.
We’re seeing in Belgium a growing demand for people with experience in offshore engineering, grid integration, battery storage and digital asset management. Many projects now require multidisciplinary teams that combine engineering knowledge with data, forecasting and operational optimisation.
Storage and hybrid solutions are becoming part of everyday discussions, especially as flexibility and grid stability become more critical. Digital tools, from monitoring platforms to predictive analytics, are also reshaping how assets are managed.
What I notice in in Belgium right now is that the professionals who stand out are those who can maximise performance over the full asset lifecycle and adapt to the changing and varied technologies – not just the ones who can deliver projects at speed.
To support our clients, part of our offering at TH is providing detailed consultancy to identify exactly those profiles: the ones who won’t just fill a role, but genuinely move the needle.
In Belgium, the renewable market has clearly matured. Conversations today focus less on building new capacity and more on optimising assets, integrating storage and managing grid complexity. From my role at TH, I see how valuable adaptable, technically strong profiles have become.
France: expertise and execution in a structured regulatory environment
France remains a very active market for wind and solar, but project development tends to be more structured and often slower due to permitting and regulatory processes. Experience, preparation and local understanding make a real difference.
We’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of clients in this market; from big utilities such as IBERDROLA France, to medium sized IPPs like Greenvolt and Velto Renewables, and investment firms like MIROVA. We’ve also been working with many of the top Chinese solar and BESS manufacturers as they continue to expand rapidly in Europe.
Many of the roles we work on require not only technical competence, but also strong coordination skills: people who can manage stakeholders, environmental requirements and regulatory frameworks while keeping projects moving forward.
Political uncertainty and a shifting market can make candidates cautious about making moves. That’s where our market insight earns its place – helping both clients and candidates make confident, well-timed decisions rather than reactive ones.
France requires patience and strong regulatory understanding. Projects move within structured frameworks, and the professionals who succeed are those who can balance technical delivery with permitting, stakeholders and long-term execution.
One technology is no longer enough
Across both markets, grid constraints and system integration are driving a fundamental rethink. Storage, hybrid projects and flexible operating strategies are no longer emerging trends. They’re standard considerations in project design.
Skillsets are evolving to match. The profiles generating the most interest right now combine experience across power systems and grid connection, energy storage and hybrid solutions, digital operations and performance analytics, offshore wind engineering, and regulatory and market understanding.
Single-technology specialists still have a place, but the most valuable professionals are those who can work fluidly across disciplines, technologies and markets.
Talent as the key enabler of the energy transition
For organisations active in Belgium and France, building strong, future-ready teams is becoming a decisive competitive advantage. For professionals, this evolution opens the door to more specialised, impactful and long-term careers in renewables.
At TH, we sit naturally in the middle of these conversations: connecting companies with the people they need and helping professionals make smart career moves in a fast-changing sector. Much of what we do is simply listening well, sharing honest market insight and helping both sides make better long-term decisions through good advice from people who truly know the market. We help to make hard decisions easy to take.
If you’re building renewable energy teams in Belgium or France, or weighing your next career move in wind, solar, storage or digital renewables, let’s talk. The right talent decisions made today will define the energy transition going forward.
From my perspective, the biggest challenge in the energy transition isn’t ambition or technology. It’s finding, developing and retaining the right people. As projects become more complex, collaboration, adaptability and continuous learning become just as important as technical expertise.
