Before I started at Volteras, I had serious doubts about the energy transition. I saw headlines about net-zero targets, ESG mandates, and green investment plans, but it all felt abstract at best and potentially disastrous at worst. I kept thinking back to what happened in Sri Lanka, where rushed ESG-driven policies like the sudden ban on chemical fertilisers led to widespread economic disruption. I didn’t want to be part of another utopian energy experiment that ignored economic realities.

Then I joined the team at Volteras, and my perspective shifted quickly.

Our CTO Giacomo helped me understand just how much untapped potential lies in the data from EVs and connected energy devices. Solar panels, home batteries, HVAC systems, chargers, the vehicles themselves. All are constantly streaming data that can be used to intelligently manage, optimise, and even monetise energy. He also helped bust some of the persistent myths I had around electric vs. ICE vehicles: the costs, battery degradation, and performance concerns.

Our CEO Peter brought in the bigger picture. He explained how all of this connects to the grid, and how homes equipped with smart tech, storage, and EVs can act like decentralised power plants. Not just consuming energy, but producing it. Supporting the grid. Selling back to it. Being active participants in the system rather than passive consumers.

But the real tipping point came when I was speaking with our Head of Sales, Chris. Pulling out his phone, he showed me how he manages his home energy setup using the Enphase Enlighten app. This showed his Enphase IQ battery linked to his solar array and a MyEnergi Zappi EV charger.

By linking this setup to the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff, Chris was able to charge his battery using solar power during the day and then use that stored energy in the evening. His EV charger was also connected, so Octopus provided cheap smart charging overnight, and any surplus energy was exported back to the grid.

The result? Instead of spending £150 a month on gas and electricity like I do, he was earning around £14 a week by selling energy back.

Like many others, I tend to believe things when I see the numbers, and when the ROI is that clear, I’m fully bought in. Over the course of a year, I’m spending £1,800 on energy. He’s earning more than £700. That’s a swing of over £2,500 in annual cost.

That said, I haven’t completely lost my scepticism. The more I learn, the more I realise how complex this transition really is. While the technology and economics are starting to make sense, on the policy side things still feel shaky.

In the UK, the government delayed its ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales from 2030 to 2035. In the US, shifting federal incentives and state-level pushback have created uncertainty around long-term EV policy. And in the EU, allowing e-fuels beyond 2035 has raised doubts about a fully zero-emission future.

So yes, I still have doubts. But they’re no longer about if this transition is happening, it’s about how quickly it will scale. Most importantly, is the right support in place to make it accessible to everyone?

After just one month at Volteras, what’s become clear is that the companies we’re enabling are the ones actually pushing this transition forward. They’re building the tools, platforms, and services that make it easier for people to adopt cleaner, smarter energy.

I’d compare this transition to the adoption of smartphones: the tipping point will come when the benefits become too obvious to ignore. The FUD will fade. The tech will mature. And most people won’t even remember a time when their car couldn’t power their home or sell energy back to the grid.

That’s what’s convinced me. This shift is real, and it’s already happening.