Wind Expo session 'Meet the Innovators' prompts lively debate

Lively debate and progressive thinking brought the Wind Energy Ireland Wind Expo 2025 to a close with a ‘Meet the Innovators' session. Caitríona Sheridan, Head of Innovation and Strategy at FuturEnergy Ireland, spoke alongside Margaret Nee (Statkraft), Jordan O'Neill (RWE), Kieran Sharkey (Orsted), David Keane (ESB) and Dave Linehan (WEI) to discuss Ireland's huge potential for renewable innovation.

Key insights included:
- Power to the people: Innovation thrives when people are trusted to lead.
- Collaboration is key: Experts, companies and countries need to prioritise knowledge sharing and partnerships.
- Playing it safe does not apply: Innovation requires calculated risk-taking.
- Empower the next generation: There is a huge opportunity to fill the demand for skilled workers in the renewable industry through educating young people and and igniting a passion for change.
- Policy can't keep up: The ideas are there but we don't have the policy frameworks to drive innovative renewable initiatives forward.
- This is a non-negotiable: Innovation is the only way we will overcome key industry challenges in grid, planning and repowering.