Market Insight: 10 Predictions For Energy Leaders In 2026 And Beyond
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Executive Summary
The energy transition was a punching bag for much of 2025. The US administration did plenty of the hitting, but politicians around the world piled on too. Many were willing to blame clean energy for rising prices and economic constraints, greenlighting all other kinds of energy; ‘energy addition’ became the mantra. At the same time, weaknesses in the grid caused by compounding physical risks worsened, putting pressure on transmission and distribution utilities. Organizations pivoted their focus from ‘net zero at all costs’ to ‘business value at all times’, with a focus on avoiding power outages, seeking efficiencies, and investing in energy transition tech only where the associated profits or risks were clear. Analysing these trends – as well as others apparent in the energy transition spaces covered by Verdantix – we have made 10 predictions for the year to come, spanning energy resilience strategies, distributed energy resource (DER) investment, likely acquisitions and more. If you are a commercial or industrial energy buyer, or a utility leader, read these predictions to look around the metaphorical corner and prepare for what 2026 will bring.
About the Authors
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Alessandra Leggieri
Senior Analyst
Alessandra is a Senior Analyst at Verdantix, specializing in carbon management and software for product carbon footprints. Her research spans over 100 vendors in the carbon ma...
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Connor Taylor
Principal Analyst
Connor is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix. He focuses on delivering research to help senior executives navigate decarbonization decision-making and build effective strategies...
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Felicity Laird
Principal Analyst
Felicity is a Principal Analyst at Verdantix, where she helps financial institutions and technology vendors navigate the evolving climate finance data and analytics landscape....
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Gus Brewer
Industry Analyst
Gus is an Industry Analyst at Verdantix specializing in energy management and supply chain decarbonization. He delivers research that enables technology buyers, vendors and se...
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Hector Aguirre
Industry Analyst
Hector is an Industry Analyst at Verdantix, where he delivers actionable insights to energy technology vendors, utilities and services firms, helping them navigate the energy ...
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Isobel McPartlin
Analyst
Isobel is an Analyst at Verdantix, where she supports corporate decision-makers in navigating the energy transition through research on emerging energy solutions and net zero ...
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Ryan Skinner
Research Director
Ryan is a Research Director at Verdantix, where he leads a team of analysts delivering research, data and advisory services that help clients navigate the fast-evolving landsc...
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