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Category: Energy

21 E-E-A-T Strategies To Supercharge Your SEO And Boost Brand Trust

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By Oliver Wells, SEO Director

Estimated read time: 12 minutes 

Blog summary: In this blog I breakdown the importance of Google’s EEAT framework to modern SEO and business growth. I’ll focus on how to implement experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness on your website. Read on to learn how utilizing EEAT strategies not only enhances your organic search performance but also builds long lasting customer loyalty and trust; positioning your business for success in a digital-first world. 

EEAT as a measure of enduring quality

In this dynamic and now AI-influenced landscape of digital content production, Google’s E-E-A-T framework stands as a beacon of unwavering credibility. Born into the 2014 edition of the Quality Rater Guidelines as 3 simple letters: “E-A-T” (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness) they have since been incorporated into updates both core and micro for as long as I can remember, and now also include a further “E” for “Experience”. We can now see and track the direct and wholly positive impacts of EEAT strategies in organic campaigns, but why is this the case?

“E-A-T is a template for how we rate an individual site. We do it to every single query and every single result. It’s pervasive throughout every single thing we do.”

Hyung-Jin Kim, Vice President of Search at Google, speaking at SMX Next

The value of lived experience

EAT was introduced as a quality concept in response to the growing need for authoritative and trustworthy online information. Fast forward to 2022, and the concept expanded to include ‘Experience’. This represents the value of firsthand, lived experience(s). This evolution wasn’t just an update; it was a statement. Google was championing content not just rich in expertise but also steeped in honest, genuine input. For users, it meant a more relatable, trustworthy and reliable online world, where information comes from those who don’t just know but truly understand the industry because they have lived it – and they aren’t simply writing content in order to sell you a dream. They want to help or guide you towards something, they’re willing to prove themselves to you, and they are happy to be patient.

EEAT as an influencing force

As goes modern SEO, Google’s E-E-A-T has emerged as a powerhouse. Its utilization in the March 2024 update is telling. It’s not just a framework; it’s how you connect with potential customers and website users. It’s how you show them why you’re the best option in a noisy and incoherent grey space of endless choice. By blending experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness Google is able to nudge content creators, business owners and marketing directors (sometimes forcefully and with some degree of resistance) towards excellence. Engaging with EEAT frameworks as they become even more essential, is now a case of when, not if; and there is some degree of urgency.

The focus revolves around rewarding those who know their stuff with resonance that is achieved through genuine experience and transparency – honesty with a dash of true and forthright passion for a craft and a business that wants to thrive. For SEO strategists, myself included, mastering E-E-A-T is not just about playing by the rules; it’s about crafting content that connects with audiences and converts because it is a natural full stop rather than a wrestling match.

Why you need to be using EEAT frameworks sooner, rather than later

So why should you care about SEO and EEAT and what does success look like for your business following continued engagement with these frameworks? The short answer is: online trust = increased business but garnered the right way, consistently and honestly, over time. In our challenging digital world it can seem like every blog and every site is designed to splice attention into consumable chunks, robbing businesses of feeling and websites of humanity.

Therefore, SEOs and Google know and understand that those who genuinely want to engage and talk about a topic are the ones who cultivate the greatest loyalties. Customer loyalty and brand trust being possibly the two greatest pillars upon which strong businesses are built. EEAT is a big thing. I won’t pretend like I am able to discuss it all in one blog post. It encompasses a lot of SEO with crossover into design, digital marketing generally, as well as brand positioning and content creation. But we are passionate about this. We believe strongly that EEAT is the best way to improve organic presence, but we also have an extremely strong feeling that these frameworks are formative to AI and LLM performance. Google may rely heavily on how trustworthy you are, how much authority you have; therefore success in EEAT may very well mean success in AI when AI becomes a major, dominant player in SEO and search.

So, lofty goals we may set, but attainable they are. We have compiled for you below, our top 21 EEAT elements that you must engage with as soon as you can if you want to become a trustworthy organic performance powerhouse.

Unlocking the potential of Google’s EEAT to achieve SEO excellence

Showcase Experience

  1. Use “I” and personal pronouns in your content. Address your audience and readers naturally. We’ve touched on this above but be personable. Talk about yourself as the writer and your experiences relative to the topic at hand and add value with your input. Don’t be afraid of anecdotes. Make your content relatable and authentic. De-mask the featureless writing machine and be “you”. 
  2. For reviews and UGC, try to promote and encourage your customers and users and partners to talk directly about their experience with you as a brand and a business. How did they find an onboarding process? Was their experience with your customer service team positive and why? The value here is in the depth of detail and creating a realistic expectation for others.
  3. Long-form and effusive testimonials are marketing gold-dust. This is a given fact. How you utilize them, once acquired, can be a difference-maker. Make sure you split up a positive review or user-story and inject its influence across your site, content, and marketing channels. You can quote a review snippet into a blog, create an image slider on social media, a testimonial-blast email and so much more. This gives users a great sense of your experience in the industry.
  4. A simple but effective approach is to include dates that relate to your own experiences. If you’re writing a blog, mention your credentials. For me, for example, I have 8 years’ experience in SEO and digital marketing. This one sentence lends credence to my insights and tells Google that my experience can be trusted.
  5. To expand upon the above, when writing meet the team pages or employee information sections on your site (which are a must do but we will get to that!) then include how many years’ experience they each have and where they acquired that experience. What degrees do they have, where did they study, and who are their notable client exposures. If your marketing team of 10, each have between 5- and 10-years’ experience in the industry each, that is a collective (roughly) 50 to 100 years’ worth of knowledge. That is a data point worth shouting about.

Highlight Expertise:

  1. It may seem obvious but one of the best ways to implement the expertise concept is to utilize experts on your site and in your marketing. This can take many forms. You can approach a topic-related industry professional or known quantity to write/author a blog for you. You could also ask for a contribution to a blog piece or you can ask them to provide specific input regarding your service and surface that prominently on your home or service pages. A blend of all is often most effective. Make sure you are displaying the expert’s credentials, qualifications, and experiences as best you can.
  2. Showcase topic experts. When writing content, it is vital that the author is shown. The method of showing also counts here. A one-liner is not enough. We need an author bio of 50-100 words that links the author to the topic. This is an SEO blog. The ‘about the author’ section in this blog talks about my SEO experience. Because I am an SEO expert. Ideally, we need a job title too, and an image of the author (designs coming soon…) You also need to work towards building a bank of content authored by your experts.
  3. Meet the authors. An often-overlooked strategic content piece. A page that showcases all your authors alongside all their subject specialisms and a link to “see content authored by this expert” goes an extremely long way to showing Google and your audience that you are a trustworthy business comprised of topic/industry experts. You can also go one step further and build out author profile pages on a specific URL for each person; allowing a user to deep-dive your experts, their experience, and the content they have written.
  4. Have you written more on the subject matter? Conducted studies, or research? Then link it. You can’t be an expert with a blog count of one. This blends into the final point of consistency. Experts, real ones, write a lot of content. My colleagues know my specialisms, but if I don’t write on the topic consistently then readers, and Google, won’t know or trust that fact. 
  5. Lastly, an expert uses the best sources. So do your research and showcase your findings. The very best blog articles out there link to studies, research, data, reviews and then some. A brilliantly written wall of text just isn’t going to cut it. Google uses these links to cement the content in truth. Utilize the words and insights of other experts to support and formalize your own.

Generate Authority:

  1. Authority can be hard to earn generally and may take some time as a challenger brand or start-up. For established businesses, you might already have authoritative voices in your company. If so, utilize them. You can begin this process with, for example, creating a meet the team page. Who are the people that make up your business and why are they authoritative (you can see here how constituent parts of the EEAT concept are interlinked). Later on, you can engage with actions such as conferences, community events, posting about your presence there on your site and social media channels; develop individual voices with multimedia creation such as podcasts – make the right types of noise in the right kinds of relevant spaces.
  2. Engage with digital PR. DPR is one of the best, quickest, and most effective ways to build your brand authority. We can get your CEO or a HOD listed in newspapers and magazines offering commentary or insight regarding world-events or current affairs. We can get you a full-post placement in an audience/business specific magazine or publication showcasing a new service, entrance into a foreign market or discussing the state of an industry and the potential issues that may (come to) plague it following the announcement of new legislation. DPR builds authority through direct audience recognition. It also may provide a backlink which directly and positively improves your site’s authority in the eyes of search engines. Furthermore, Google is now able to detect un-linked brand mentions and employ that detection as a measure of trust and authority. This identification is getting more and more sophisticated (a trend that will continue) as Google moves away from traditional backlinking as a potent measure of interconnectivity and moves towards more natural ways of testing a brand’s impact in press – especially as media backlink inclusion gets less and less commonplace. Hence the truly vital nature of digital PR.
  3. To be an authority, you need to understand a subject deeply whilst also developing your and others’ understanding of it at the same time. To do this, you need to create and commission studies, research and analysis that is new to market. You can survey your audience and publish your findings. You can engage a specialized agency to undergo rigorous testing on your behalf – utilizing the end product across marketing channels and media. This also goes a long way to establishing yourself as a thought leader in your specific space(s).
  4. An authoritative site is trusted by others. It is all well and good writing the best blog in the world but if nobody sees it, does it have authority? Following the publishing of a blog piece it is then important to conduct manual outreach to other sites, brands and businesses. You want those other sites to use your piece in their own insights and analysis as a hyperlink or reference. To go back to the above point, if you have conducted excellent research with fascinating end-product data, chances are, media and relative brands will want to use your findings. Thus, the cycle of authority and thought leadership is oft self-sustaining.

Delivering Trust:

  1. Of all the metrics and approaches, the notion of trust is almost certainly the most important as regards all-round business growth and efficacy of method. The first thing you should do is ask yourself the question “how can I prove myself and create a natural, genuine sense of trust between me, my audience, and Google?” Your first port of call should be to ascertain and/or showcase your industry specific business qualifications, certifications and accreditations. These are vast and varied by nature but can cover things such as health and safety, ISO specifications, quality control (QC) and even badges that show users how you encrypt data or ensure safe payment methods.
  2. Award wins and recognitions. If you have won awards for your excellent business practices, campaigns or for a specific project –shout about them! Winning awards and being recognized for your work is one of the best and quickest ways to build trust between you as a business, search engines and your users. If you haven’t won any awards just yet, start applying for some. If you’re in the tech industry, check out our list of the best tech awards to enter.  If you’re an energy company reading this, we’ve got you covered. Browse our comprehensive list of energy awards to enter.
  3. Case studies are key when it comes to trust building. The more descriptive you can be with your case studies the better. Offer insight and commentary on the work you did, the relationship you created, and the results you achieved. Breakdown data and statistics, be clear, up-front and honest about any challenges you encountered. It is important to include a testimonial from the client, a review snippet or a measure of insight from their side. You should also link to the website in question if applicable – cementing the relationship to search engines. You should also segment your case studies for clear access; utilizing menu grouping, unique URL paths and breadcrumbs. Grouping all of your case studies in a bunch together is hard to interpret but creating “SEO case studies” and “PPC case studies” groups makes life easy for potential SEO and PPC clients respectively. You want these case studies front and center, easy to read; concise and valuable.
  4. Fact check all content and keep it evergreen. Dated content no longer functions in our fast paced environment. I wouldn’t trust an SEO strategy blog dated to 2018, or even 2020, and I’m sure you wouldn’t either! Please also keep dates out of URLs, they don’t belong there! I believe it also goes without saying, but don’t include anything in your content or marketing that you cannot prove to be true.
  5. You can’t trust what you don’t know. An about us page is something that is perhaps arduous to create but is truly worthwhile. Users want to know who you are. Google wants to know who you are. Go further and showcase your history, the people that made your business, your mission statement, values and purpose – provide a timeline, or an interview with the company founders. Do all you can to show the world your business is made of real people with real passions that can be trusted by virtue of their openness and capacity for honesty.
  6. Engage with review sites across the web. EEAT is not just site-specific, its impact escapes and encompasses the entire web. Therefore, it is imperative that you engage with multiple review sites and aggregators. That means having a presence on e.g. Trustpilot, Clutch, Review.io, industry specific reviews sites and more if you can. Google reviews are perhaps the most crucial, but it does not mean that others should be overlooked. When it comes to review harvesting and prompting be sure to encourage (as stated above!) honesty and clarity on process. But also try to secure service specific language and deep insights into a product or experience. You want to create a sense of relativity, allowing your potential new audience to put themselves in the shoes of your current audience. Lastly on this, you must directly address all negative reviews, no matter how time-costly this is. This shows you’re a genuine, trustworthy business that cares about how people perceive it.
  7. A final but interconnected point on testimonials. Where possible, insert these into relative pages. Testimonials that extol the virtues and value of a service, placed onto that service page, will work wonders for your conversion rate and for the right reasons at that.

To conclude

As I said, EEAT is BIG. But it is worth getting your head around. It represents for me, and for Aspectus, the evolution of SEO and the future of AI and LLM performance. Businesses that fail at EEAT, will fail as we transition. But that ought not be a negative. EEAT means building connections with your audience. It represents a freedom and creativity to engage and to be exciting. It’s a celebration of authenticity and expertise; a showcase of your experience. It’s about showing the world who you are, what you do, why you do it and what drives you forward.  EEAT isn’t just the next big thing; it’s the foundation for enduring success on search engines. It’s an invitation to create content that’s as real as it is relevant, as personal as it is powerful. Get in touch with me today to discuss how we can help you achieve SEO success through EEAT implementation.  

Key Takeaways:

What is Google’s E-E-A-T?

Google’s E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness, a framework crucial for SEO success, emphasizing credible and quality content.

How does E-E-A-T impact SEO and digital marketing?

E-E-A-T directly influences organic search rankings by rewarding content that demonstrates genuine expertise, authoritative sources, and trustworthiness, along with the author’s personal experience in the subject matter.

Why should businesses focus on E-E-A-T?

Focusing on E-E-A-T ensures that businesses create content that truly resonates with their audience, establishing a strong, trustworthy online presence that drives organic growth and customer loyalty.

How can incorporating E-E-A-T into content strategy benefit a business?

Incorporating E-E-A-T into a content strategy significantly boosts a business’s online credibility and authority, leading to better search rankings, increased trust among users, and ultimately, higher conversion rates.

What role does ‘Experience’ play in the updated E-E-A-T framework?

The addition of ‘Experience’ to the E-E-A-T framework highlights the importance of personal anecdotes and firsthand knowledge in creating relatable, authentic content that resonates with audiences and demonstrates genuine understanding.

Why is E-E-A-T considered foundational for future SEO and AI performance?

E-E-A-T is foundational because it aligns SEO practices with the evolving capabilities of AI and machine learning, ensuring that content not only meets current standards of relevance and quality but is also prepared for future technological advancements in search algorithms.

About the author:

I have been working in SEO and strategic marketing services for over 8 years now. My experience is an even split between in-house roles at start-ups and agency roles at some of the UK’s biggest PR and digital agencies. I am based in East London having moved down from Essex 5 years ago. Professionally, I am a proud advocate for EEAT and SEO and the genuine business benefits of integrated service adoption. Personally, my heart is in the Lake District and nature. Podcasts are my jam and coffee is my addiction.

Bibliography

More from us on SEO, Google, and marketing strategy: 

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Rolling out the red carpet: a comprehensive list of the best B2B energy awards to enter in 2024

By Olivia Greaves, Account Manager

B2B energy awards come in all different shapes and sizes, highlighting regional activity, best-in-class technology, ESG and DEI initiatives and more, but how can you sift through the ever-increasing categories to find those most relevant to you and those you have the strongest chance of winning?

With lots to choose from it can be hard to decide where your efforts are best placed, here are some of our top picks for B2B energy awards to enter in 2024.

ADIPEC Awards

For those operating in the Middle East, it doesn’t get much bigger than ADIPEC. Held annually in Abu Dhabi, ADIPEC runs over four days in mid-November, with the awards ceremony a major element of the overall event.

Last year’s awards centred around companies ‘Leading the Transformation’ and we can expect a similar theme for 2024’s categories, celebrating achievements in the pursuit of net-zero emissions and decarbonisation.

Entry deadline: June (TBC)

Awards ceremony: Mid-November 2024

edie Net-Zero Awards

The inaugural edie Net-Zero Awards were held in November 2023, a sister scheme the established edie Awards, it was created to recognise individuals and organisations who are spearheading the transition towards a net-zero carbon economy.

Categories include Net-Zero Hero, Built Environment Project of the Year, Innovation of the Year and Renewables Energy Project of the Year, amongst others.

Entry deadline: July (TBC)

Awards ceremony: November (TBC)

Global Offshore Wind Awards

The Global Offshore Wind Awards is run by RenewableUK and celebrates the very best in offshore wind across several categories- People, skills and health and safety; Innovation and excellence; and Environmental, social and governance.

Entry deadline: July (TBC)

Awards ceremony: October (TBC)

Hart Energy ESG Awards

An increased spotlight on ESG in recent years has led to an increase in accompanying awards. Hart Energy’s ESG Awards are open to producers, operators, services companies and midstream companies in the oil and gas industry. The awards look to recognise innovations, social efforts and leadership practices.

With a slightly different format to other awards, organisations don’t enter specific categories but instead enter with a ‘summary of achievements’ and one company per ‘type’ is crowned winner.

Entry deadline: April 5

Awards ceremony: August 30-31

Hydrogen Awards

It was only a matter of time until the budding hydrogen sector developed its own awards. Enter The Hydrogen Awards.

There are over 23 categories to enter and win, celebrating the use of hydrogen across many industries including automotive, rail, industrial and construction.

Entry deadline: November (TBC)

Awards ceremony: February (TBC)

Offshore Energy UK (OEUK) Awards

Hosted annually in Aberdeen, the OEUK Awards celebrates outstanding companies and inspirational people working within the energy sector.

The award has several categories for those just starting out in the industry, including Apprentice of the Year and Early Career Professional of the Year as well as others spotlighting energy security and decarbonisation efforts.

Entry deadline: August (TBC)

Awards ceremony: November (TBC)

Offshore Achievement Awards (OAAs)

Another awards ceremony hailing from the Granite City, the OAAs reward innovative technologies, company growth and contributions of individuals within the energy sector.

Entry deadline: Already closed for 2024, expected to reopen November (TBC)

Awards ceremony: March 2025 (TBC)

Platts Global Energy Awards

With over a quarter a century of awards ceremonies under its belt, the Platts Global Energy Awards is one of the more established awards on the B2B energy awards circuit, and with 20 categories, there’s something for almost everyone.

Categories for individuals range from Rising Star Individual Award to Lifetime Achievement Award, and categories for companies include a variety of energy transition awards.

Entry deadline: August (TBC)

Awards ceremony: December (TBC)

Subsea Expo Awards

The Subsea Expo Awards, hosted by Global Underwater Hub, recognise companies and individuals that are leading the way in the UK’s underwater sectors.

There are just seven categories, including a Technology Development Award. 

Entry deadline: Already closed for 2024, expected to reopen September 2024

Awards ceremony: February 2025

Woman in Energy Award

In an industry that is still largely dominated by men, the Woman in Energy Award aims to reward and celebrate women in energy.

Part of European Sustainable Energy Week, it highlights outstanding activities, projects or actions carried out by women. Particular attention is placed on efforts to drive the gender mainstreaming agenda and support equality and equal opportunities.

Entry deadline: February 1

Awards ceremony: June 11

At Aspectus, we’ve won many B2B energy awards for clients. From handling the research through to drafting compelling and creative entries including winning The Offshore Achievement Awards, Green Business Awards and Ground Engineering. Get in touch if you’d like to win more awards in 2024.

At a glance

AwardEntry deadlineCeremony
ADIPEC AwardsJune (TBC)Mid-November (TBC)
edie Net-Zero AwardsJuly (TBC)November (TBC)
The Global Offshore Wind AwardsJuly (TBC)October (TBC)
Hart Energy ESG AwardsApril 5August 30-31
The Hydrogen Awards.November (TBC)February (TBC)
OEUK AwardsAugust (TBC)November (TBC)
Offshore Achievement AwardsNovember (TBC)March 2025
Platts Global Energy AwardsAugust (TBC)December (TBC)
Subsea Expo AwardsSeptember (TBC)February 2025 (TBC)
Woman in Energy AwardFebruary 1June 11

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Unleashing The Potential of Onshore Wind: Insights from the UK’s first onshore wind conference

By Paul Noonan, Content and Insight Director

As a home-grown, home-blown power source that is now nine times cheaper than gas, terrestrial wind power could transform our energy security and affordability and pave a faster path to net zero. Yet with the UK needing to double its onshore wind capacity to remain on course for net zero by 2030 and just two turbines installed in the whole of England last year, we risk being blown off-course for decarbonisation. And the government has been criticised for rowing back on plans to ease stringent planning restrictions amidst fierce resistance from rural MPs and local groups.

I recently attended the UK’s first ever conference on onshore wind uniting leading lights from government, industry and charities to discuss how we could unleash the potential of onshore wind without damaging local environments or alienating communities. The stellar speaker line-up included the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Net Zero, the Chairman of the Net Zero Committee and representatives from Energy UK, the Local Government Association, The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Nature Conservancy and the Centre for Sustainable Energy. They revealed how democratisation and localisation, holistic ‘whole system’ planning and transparent, reliable data could finally break the deadlock and detoxify onshore wind. Here were three themes that emerged.

Democratisation and localisation, not compensation

Democratising and localising wind farm development is essential so that wind farms benefit local people and places as well the planet. Communities cannot be ‘bought off’ with compensation from developers but want to be given a genuine say and a real stake in wind farm development. This means giving communities real influence over planning decisions and an opportunity to share in the benefits of projects. Community workshops could be established asking local people to list their favourite views so that wind farms are carefully sited to avoid impeding their enjoyment of nature.

Public tenders for wind projects must focus not only on cost but on creating local content and supply chains so that wind farms create jobs and opportunities for their neighbours. Communities should also be helped to make energy savings through local wind farms and the chance to profit from peer-to-peer energy markets or community-run wind schemes. One developer even gave local communities equity stakes in their neighbouring wind farm.

Transparent decision-making through smart data

Innovations such as data analytics and digital modelling could create more transparent, democratic wind farm development. Developers could give local community and environmental groups virtual tours of proposed sites for wind farms digitally modelling the impact on everything from popular views to bird migration routes. This would enable collaborative planning decisions between communities and developers based on transparent, accurate data.

We could create multi-layered digital maps combining engineering, wildlife, land-use and population data to ensure windfarms are optimally positioned for minimal impact on communities and biodiversity. And a national land-use database could map the best sites for wind farms based on everything from wind to topography data to give each local authority a well-informed series of options for communities to consider. Crucially, transparent methodologies for measuring environmental impact such as the Nature Conservancy’s Site Wind Right tool could ensure spatial planning for wind farms minimises or mitigates environmental damage.

Holistic ‘whole system’ infrastructure planning

A disjointed, point-to-point model of development where each wind farm has to make its own grid interconnection means that power systems are not evolving in sync with renewables. We need to design electric and renewable grids holistically as a joined-up ecosystem designed to intersect around the most cost-effective way to bring clean energy to the masses.

Multi-layered digital maps modelling future power systems and wind farms could be merged with population data to ensure transmission lines and wind farms are designed to intersect and connect with future population centres. In this way, connected data from multiple sources could create more collaborative, joined-up renewable and electric infrastructure.

Mapping the way forward:

The Net Zero Committee says the UK needs to double the installed capacity of onshore wind by 2030 to make net zero affordable and achieve decarbonisation. Yet the omens are not looking good, with the pipeline of wind projects drying up under an effective 10-year moratorium on construction. Only 11% of local authorities have even identified possible sites for new construction because of confusion over where and how to build in a way that achieves democratic consent. What emerged from this event is that transparent, reliable smart data is the key to building bridges between wind developers and local communities so that wind farms can peacefully coexist with nature and their human neighbours.

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The nuclear-sized hole at the heart of the green hydrogen vision

By Paul Noonan, Lead Copywriter, Energy and Industrials 

Clean hydrogen has long been hailed as the green lifeblood of the future economy, helping store and circulate renewable energy across sectors and decarbonise hard-to-abate industries and heavy transport. It is at the heart of the energy transition, holding the promise of decarbonising sectors that cannot be easily electrified and even providing the Holy Grail of dispatchable renewable power in the form of hydrogen gas-fired power stations. It is also central to Europe’s energy security with the EU aiming to replace 27 bcm of imported Russian gas with 20 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen. Yet green hydrogen is currently little more than a pipe dream because Europe’s policymakers have set pie-in-the-sky policy-driven timelines without being honest about the practical steps to achieving them and the enormous energy costs involved.

Few realise that the EU’s target of 10 million tonnes of home-grown hydrogen by 2030 would consume the equivalent of Germany’s entire annual power consumption, which could max out our electric grids. The EU also aims to create hydrogen entirely from new renewable energy capacity to avoid diverting clean power from other applications. This would require a 44% expansion of Europe’s renewable energy capacity at a time of rising renewable supply chain costs and constraints, exacerbating energy bills and worsening our reliance on rare-earth metals from China. In other words, green hydrogen could ironically worsen the very energy cost and energy security crises it was meant to solve.

Time to go nuclear

Nuclear energy could circumvent this entire problem by creating hydrogen electrolytically or even through direct use of heat from nuclear energy thus avoiding excessive new wind or solar construction and electricity use.  Crucially, much more renewable capacity would be needed to cover unpredictable swings in supply whereas nuclear provides a stable power source and thus needs less capacity. This means that producing a million metric tonnes of hydrogen would need just seven gigawatts of installed nuclear capacity compared with 22 gigawatts of onshore wind or 52 gigawatts of onshore solar.

Yet nuclear power is currently caught in a political tug-of-war between Germany and France and the fate of nuclear-produced hydrogen hangs in the balance. Nuclear has been excluded from the EU’s proposed list of renewable hydrogen power sources which is being considered by the European Parliament and Council and will form the investors’ guide to hydrogen. And there is now a major battle looming over whether nuclear can even qualify as “low-carbon hydrogen” with an EU methodology due to be agreed in 2024.

There is an urgent need for communications campaigns to outline the benefits of nuclear and the full implications of sole reliance on renewable electricity for hydrogen. As we transition to new energy, informed communications is vital to ensure that these immensely consequential decisions consider the widest array of technological options and are based on transparent, accurate data.  Otherwise, green hydrogen risks becoming the cure for our energy woes that is worse than the disease.

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Spotlight on: Singapore and the Energy Transition

In the 57 years since Singapore became independent, the country has undergone remarkable development, transforming rapidly from a low to high-income country, and with some of the world’s highest GDP growth today. The city-state’s rapid industrialisation in the 1960s set it on the path to swift development, with manufacturing and the services sector becoming the back-bone of Singapore’s economy. Just 10 years later, it reached full employment and became a fully fledged newly industrialised economy, alongside its Asian peers such as Hong Kong SAR, Republic of Korea and Taiwan. Now, however, the small island-state is in the midst of another up-hill battle – transitioning to renewable energy to meet decarbonisation goals, whilst ensuring energy demand is consistently met.

In 2021, Singapore established a national net-zero plan entitled the Singapore Green Plan 2030. With the power sector accounting for 40% of the country’s emissions, decarbonising the electricity sector is a high priority to meet their climate goals. Fifty years ago, Singapore relied heavily on oil, but over the past half century has transitioned towards natural gas, which releases considerably less CO2. However, with the recent global call for renewables, Singapore has been looking for alternative energy sources that will meet demand while matching global climate goals. So, how is it planning to navigate the energy transition?

Geographical constraints

Singapore is not naturally endowed when it comes to renewable energy potential. Its small land mass and high population means domestically grown sustainable biomass is not an option, nor is the development of nuclear power. The average wind speed in Singapore is just 2m/s, meaning commercial wind turbines (which normally operate at wind speeds of around 4.5m/s) are also not a viable path forward. A small tidal range and relatively calm sea axes the possibility of tidal power, and with much of Singapore’s sea space already cluttered by ports and shipping lanes, ocean energy technologies also remain out of reach. With no fast-flowing river systems, hydroelectric power is unattainable, nor can the country rely on any geothermal energy sources.

Singapore’s hidden talents

But hope is not lost, due to Singapore’s technological prowess and ability to quickly adapt to an evolving global energy landscape. Moreover, with Singapore’s high average annual solar irradiation, solar power is a strong potential option for renewable energy. And while this also won’t be an easy feat, with Singapore’s aforementioned small land pass posing a problem when it comes to large scale deployment of solar panels (not to mention frequent cloudy conditions and urban shading) the city state is currently in the process of researching and trialling options for solar PV systems in order to maximise the potential for solar energy, with the lofty goal of deploying at least 2 gigawatt-peak of solar energy by 2030, the equivalent of 350,000 households for a year.

And, while options such as nuclear currently remain beyond reach, the innovate Singaporeans continue to research ways to harness the technology, alongside exploring a plethora of different options, ranging from regional power grids and low-carbon hydrogen to carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

The future of Singapore’s journey

What is certain is that the future of Singapore’s energy transition is going to be one to watch, with serious potential for investment and development of renewable energy in the country. If you are keen to branch out and build your renewable presence in Singapore, then talk to us at Aspectus where we can expertly guide you through your energy communications from our Singapore PR agency to help quickly boost your next stage of growth. Get in touch here.

Nuala O’Sullivan, Account Executive, Energy team

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The blue economy: don’t fall into the buzzword trap at this year’s Subsea Expo


By Louise Douglas, Senior Account Director, Energy & Industrials 

The term ‘blue economy’ is not new, but it has had a new lease of life in the era of the energy transition. You’ve probably seen it mentioned in many government pledges, industry articles or corporate strategies. And it’s the leading theme at Subsea Expo this year.

But what does it really mean? More importantly, do you know what it means to your business? Questions you’ll need to know the answers to ahead of this year’s largest annual subsea exhibition and conference.

What is the blue economy?

The European Commission defines it as, “all economic activities related to oceans, seas and coasts”, whilst the World Bank describes it as the “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.” Although the term has been used in different ways, sustainability is the golden thread that runs through it.

And with greenwashing scandals rising like our sea levels, sustainability is not a term that should be used loosely without careful consideration.

What’s the business potential?

In 2021 the European Commission proposed a new approach to the blue economy off the back of the pandemic, ensuring a more sustainable approach as part of the green deal. With a recent report showcasing the blue economy provides 4.5 million direct jobs and generates over 650 billion euro in turnover in Europe alone. So, there’s a lot of pressure on getting it right.

This means investing in innovative technologies such as wave and tidal energy, floating wind, waste management and using ports as crucial greener energy hubs. This opens the door to a range of companies who are already excelling at these technologies and innovations. And discussing at Subsea Expo how these businesses must work together to maximise the blue economic opportunities will be key.

But understanding how your company fits within the blue economy is the easy part. It’s getting your communications right that can prove challenging.

Why getting the marketing right is crucial

A word of warning to event attendees… “Oh no, not another buzzword,” is not what you want your audiences to think when they read your external communications. Many businesses can make the mistake of using terms or claims without any real substance or proof points behind them.

Coca Cola is a good example of this when it launched it’s ‘World Without Waste’ marketing campaign, leaving out that it produces 3 million tons of plastic packaging per year. Needless to say, it was not received well.

This can give a negative preconception of your brand, inserting uncertainty around where you stand on important industry challenges.

Simply put, trust can be easily lost.

This is where messaging comes in. Clear and concise messaging is a must to separate you from your competition and to ensure your target markets know what you stand for. And this doesn’t just mean external messaging. Internal communication is just as important to maintain a strong brand identity. It’s also essential to use this messaging in the right way, targeting the right media and platforms for your brand. Done right, it can attract the right attention from potential recruits to investors and key journalists.

To avoid falling into the buzzword trap and to create meaningful communications, a second pair of eyes and ears can be what’s needed. A specialist partner to challenge your thinking, who isn’t afraid to not be a yes man or woman.

This is where a specialist brand, marketing and communications agency can provide you with a wealth of experience.

The good, the bad and the ugly, we’ve seen it all.

If you’d like to avoid being caught up in the next greenwashing wave or simply would like some advice on communications, get in touch with a member of our energy team.

Meet us at this year’s Subsea Expo to discuss more. Email: louise.douglas@aspectusgroup.com

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Can we bridge the divide between local communities and onshore wind developers?


By Paul Noonan, Lead Copywriter on the Energy and Industrials team.

Renewable energy growth is currently tangled in knots of local planning bureaucracy with onshore wind foundering on fierce opposition from local communities and environmental groups. We need 1200 GW of new renewable capacity each year to reach net zero yet four times more wind energy is bogged down in permitting delays than is being built in Europe alone.  Governments are now under growing pressure to fast-track renewable construction by overriding local communities and environmental groups. Yet this could mean rolling back decades of progress in putting local people and the environment at the heart of infrastructure planning.

The top-down approach

In the US, a Bill by Democrat Senator Joe Manchin would significantly weaken state and community influence over energy infrastructure projects, and even allow federal agencies to unilaterally decide the route of new power lines. And in the UK, Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer has similarly pledged to rip up red tape and reduce onshore wind planning processes from years to months, warning that “If that choice means some communities adapting to a new landscape….I will not hesitate to make it.” MPs are also calling for larger onshore wind projects to be designated Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) so they can be approved by the Business Secretary without local consent.  This is known as the Decide-Announce-Defend approach to infrastructure planning where authorities seek forgiveness instead of permission.

Yet research shows this technocratic, top-down approach hardens local opposition to renewable development and erodes the public support that will be vital to the energy transition.  Major wind projects have previously failed because developers shunned local groups, and attempts to centralise onshore wind planning in the UK face similarly stiff opposition from communities and countryside charities such as the CPRE.

Opponents are often portrayed as nimbyist obstructionists fighting to preserve property prices at the expense of the planet. Yet this ignores legitimate public concerns that local ecology is being sacrificed to national net zero policy, that the costs of renewable construction fall disproportionately on rural communities and that infrastructure is poorly designed when decisions are taken remotely by people far removed from the consequences. And wind farms can have many negative effects on the local environment, from degrading habitats to damaging biodiversity such as rare bat species.

Democratising wind-farm development

Could there be a third way that accelerates renewable development while protecting the local environment and winning over local people? Democratising and decentralising renewable development would dramatically boost public support for renewables, ensure more of the benefits accrue to affected communities and also create more holistic designs and planning decisions.

These must involve genuinely two-way communications campaigns harnessing local input to create inclusive, balanced infrastructure. For example, public acceptance increases when local people are given the chance to influence wind farm design and this could also help reduce the impact of designs on the local environment. Concerns over blighting scenic views could be alleviated by concealing windfarms within commercial forests. Citizens votes and forums such as the US Joint Transmission Taskforce could bring local people and infrastructure planners together so that decisions consider the broadest range of costs and benefits from local employment to biodiversity.

We could promote more local renewable energy markets and off-grid community-run wind and solar projects, ensuring local communities reap the benefits of nearby renewable development to offset the costs. By relieving pressure on the national grid, this would also reduce excessive demand for new energy and electricity infrastructure.

Communications and democratisation holds the key to uniting developers and communities, creating smart infrastructure that strikes a balance between national priorities and local people and between the global and local environment.

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DFS: Less about sofas and more about smart grids


By Catherine Hunter, Account Director, Energy and Industrials team Aspectus Group

This winter has seen a new service deployed by National Grid – the demand flexibility service (DFS). This is a new solution that encourages consumers to shift their behaviour towards matching the current demand on the grid. This could be saving up the washing till tomorrow, or simply delaying the start time till 3am and having fresh laundry for when you wake up. The way the service currently runs, is to encourage users to reduce output in pre-agreed time windows.

The service was set up to allow National Grid to manage periods of high demand on the grid – and largely when supply was lower. So, the typical, still, cold winter evening is when DFS is expected to be deployed. This is because, renewable output is lower with no solar or wind supply the grid. But also because we look to turn up the heating and oven as we return home from work and some industrial plants are still operating. This would suggest 4 till 6 in a cold evening is the most likely time this service will be needed. But really this service demonstrates a glimpse into our smart grid future.

DFS to date

The service was introduced in winter 2022/2023 following a successful trial with Octopus Energy on whether consumers will change their behaviour. There are, however, a number of factors at play to be involved with the current DFS operations.

This service is open to as many participants as possible who meet the following requirements:

  • All assets would require half-hourly (HH) metering.
  • All assets must be able to respond for a minimum of 30 minutes.
  • 1 MW min unit size/100 MW max unit size.
  • Providers need to be able to respond to an instruction for day-ahead delivery.
  • Providers must provide relevant HH metering and baselining data to demonstrate delivery of demand reduction.

And so largely, if you have a smart meter and a supplier that has signed up, you can be involved in the current DFS service – today about 1 million customers are signed up. But this is a move that is going to continue to grow as we build a smart grid.

Where from here?

DFS proves that households are able to tweak their energy usage habits – without compromising on living standards – although delaying a toddler’s teatime might be a risk too far! As more renewables come onto the grid, we are in a unique position where we might not only be encouraged to reduce use at certain times, we might be encouraged to increase use energy at times of high supply.

This creates a future where certain choices around energy consumption, could be determined by the weather or the needs of the grid, rather than our usual routine.

Communicating this change

And while DFS and other smart grid, flexibility services are exciting to those in the industry. There’s a risk that consumers don’t react well to such innovations. Fears they’re sitting in the cold and dark to keep the grid online can only grow as more knowledge about this service becomes known. We currently have a million, engaged households involved with DFS but we could grow this service to include EV charging and more households. But we want them enthused by the prospect of turning down their usage, rather than resenting the change and being turned off net zero.

At Aspectus, we are a specialist energy communications agency so can support with messaging, online content, and brand awareness for such changes. Get in touch if you’d like to know more.

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3 reasons why an apprenticeship is the perfect steppingstone for a career in PR and digital marketing


By Emilio Koumis, Apprentice

What to do after you leave school is a question that many students consider. Is university the right decision for them? Or is getting hands on experience in the form of an apprenticeship the way forward? Below are three key benefits of why an apprenticeship could be for you.

1) Hands on experience

Hands on experience in a real-world setting is important in any industry you go in to, and an apprenticeship can provide just that! It is invaluable for understanding the fundamentals of PR and developing the skills necessary to succeed within the sector. You are given the opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals, learning how to craft effective press releases, pitch stories to media outlets and communicate efficiently. Similarly, an apprenticeship in digital marketing would provide you with the chance to learn about SEO, PPC, and social media advertising.

Learning happens when you’re doing. Actively performing these tasks will allow you to get an idea on the things you are confident in and enjoy but more importantly, the things you struggle with as well. Hands on experience allows you to identify the sectors in which you may not be as familiar with and quickly receive help from the professionals around you.

2) Building connections

Secondly, building connections is crucial in the corporate world. Although important in any career, it is particularly key in an industry as competitive as PR and digital marketing. Having a network in the industry will open doors for future job opportunities, as well as providing a sounding board for your ideas and a source of feedback on your work – things that may be difficult to obtain in a university setting. Building these relationships early on can give you a massive head start and a greater window for success in the future.

Most apprenticeships allow you to attend industry events, connecting you with other PR and marketing professionals as well as potential clients – this is another way to expand your network and gain valuable knowledge in the field.

3) Earn while you learn

Unlike a traditional degree, an apprenticeship allows you to earn while you learn. This helps eliminate the financial burden of a student loan, which according to the UK Parliament website, is forecasted to be around £43,400 on average, once students complete their course in 23/24. So instead of completing university at the cost of a £40,000 debt, you could be completing your apprenticeship with extra cash in the bank!

Additionally, many apprenticeship programmes also provide training and support that can help you pass any industry-specific qualifications such as the Chartered institute of Public Relations (CIPR) diploma or the hundreds of digital marketing courses online.

An apprenticeship Is an excellent choice for anyone looking to build a career in PR and digital marketing. It allows you to gain hands on experience, build a professional network and is a cost-effective way to enter the industry. With the right mindset and willingness to learn, an apprenticeship can be the perfect steppingstone to a successful career in PR and digital marketing.

Find out more about the scheme here and our application form.

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