Europe cannot deliver its clean tech ambitions without the people to make them happen. Every new solar park, battery line and heat pump installation needs workers trained to plan, build, operate and maintain it. At The Business Booster (TBB) 2026, taking place in Munich on 28–29 October, the European Solar Academy will launch the Clean Tech Skills Report: Trends Shaping 2027–2030 and put workforce readiness on the agenda as a question of Europe’s industrial competitiveness.
The pressure is already visible. Employers are looking beyond traditional talent pools: 53% of green hires are professionals with green skills in non-green job titles (LinkedIn, 2025). Supply is a concern too. The IEA estimates that the number of new qualified entrants to the global energy sector would need to rise by around 40% by 2030 to prevent the skills gap from widening (IEA, 2025).
Solar shows the challenge most clearly because of its scale. In 2025, it contributed around 80% of new renewable capacity (IEA, 2025), so its workforce needs are among the largest in clean tech. Solar also shows both sides of the skills challenge: the capacity to deploy at scale and the specialised skills to integrate systems.
Register for TBB 2026 and join the discussion.
Where do skills fit in Europe’s solar competitiveness debate?
On 28 October, from 16:30 to 17:30, Track 4B will ask: ‘Can Europe rebuild a competitive solar industry?‘. Europe’s energy future will be shaped by technology, markets, policy and investment. Track 4B explores these forces, from global competition and efforts to rebuild Europe’s solar manufacturing base to new technologies across the sector.
It also examines the workforce needed to support that growth. Rebuilding the solar industry and scaling clean tech will require skilled workers across the value chain, from manufacturing and installation to research and development. Developing that workforce is a major challenge for Europe and will be vital to its industrial and energy plans.
Meet the panel:
- Vincent Delporte, Chief Public Affairs & Communication Officer, HoloSolis
- Minh Huy Lai, Europe COO, Generation
- Michael Pinto, CEO, Sunwafe
Moderated by Pénélope Nabet, EU Public Affairs Manager, InnoEnergy.
Launch of the Clean Tech Skills Report
The Clean Tech Skills Report: Trends Shaping 2027–2030 will be launched at TBB 2026 on 28 October at 11:45 at InnoEnergy’s booth. It examines where workforce pressures and skills gaps could put clean tech deployment in Europe at risk between 2027 and 2030. Drawing on labour market intelligence, industry evidence and skills analysis, the report highlights emerging skills needs and the roles that are hardest to fill as demand for clean tech skills grows.
The report covers:
- Workforce gaps and challenges
- Skills and talent demand in solar PV and batteries
- AI and automation and their effects on the clean tech workforce
- Skills needs in green hydrogen, wind and heat pumps, and transferable skills across clean tech.
InnoEnergy Skills Institute developed the report as part of the European Solar Academy’s work to strengthen workforce readiness and support the growth of Europe’s solar sector. Request your copy and we’ll send it to you at launch.
How do the findings translate into practice for the solar sector?
The report’s findings will provide a starting point for discussing what the solar sector needs to do next. It needs more people across the value chain, including workers who can install, operate and maintain systems, and connect them to the grid. The discussion will explore emerging skills gaps and how to address them.
The panel will bring together Minh Huy Lai, Europe COO at Generation; Wolfgang Jooß, Director of Technology at RCT Solutions GmbH; and Elias Paul, Director at InnoEnergy Skills Institute. Steven Patterson, Head of Strategy and Partnerships at InnoEnergy Skills Institute, will moderate. They will discuss the skills the solar sector needs as it grows, and how industry and training providers can help develop them.
Join the conversation at TBB 2026
TBB is InnoEnergy’s flagship event for the clean tech value chain. It brings together start-ups, scale-ups, investors, corporates and policymakers to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the sector. This year’s keynote speakers are Michael Liebreich, Mariana Mazzucato and Jean-Christophe Laloux.
