The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that renewable energy will need to account for at least 65% of global electricity generation by 2030.
The Paris Agreement states that zero-carbon solutions could be competitive in sectors representing over 70% of global emissions by 2030.
We take a look at some of the top consultancy firms working to support some of the world’s biggest companies to achieve this.
10. Alvarez & Marshal
Management consultancy Alvarez & Marshal support its clients in the global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, with experts working in areas including crude oil, natural gas, refined products, chemicals, coal, wind, solar, nuclear, and electric power.
The firm’s broad, problem-solving approach is driven by data—working with some of the world’s leading scientific minds in combination with the company’s strong economic and financial expertise to ensure a rounded response.
9. McKinsey & Company
Global Management Consultancy firm McKinsey & Company strive for world-shaping client impact. Alongside impactful support for clients the company also reports on the world’s energy, providing insight to their clients and beyond.
The firm’s solutions include electric power and AI productivity specialisms, with over US$60m saved in just one year of work through AI through a Vistra Corp partnership to improve efficiency and reduce emissions using AI.
8. PwC
“Decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitisation are transforming the power and utilities landscape,” says consultancy giant PwC.
The firm works with partners globally to combat not only energy use on a macro scale, but also micro-sustainability, acknowledging that small steps working alongside large-scale changes will support its clients in achieving net zero.
PwC is another company with a recent leadership change, having announced Elisabeth Hunt as Energy and Resources Sector Leader in June 2023.
7. IBM
“Our clients’ systems support modern society. In making them faster, more productive, and more secure, we don’t just make business work better—we make the world work better,” says Arvind Krishna, IBM’s CEO.
The company’s approach to energy consultancy is technologically focussed; in 2022, it published a report on Automation in the Energy and Utilities industry, and it works in wider energy infrastructure including power grid development.
6. Accenture
Dublin-based firm Accenture was founded in 1989 and is considered the world’s largest consulting firm in the world by many.
Chris Ronketti advocates reduction in fuel poverty in the UK alongside his role as Principal Director - Energy Services at Accenture, a role he took on in early 2023 having previously worked with British Gas, Just Energy and Carbon Intelligence.
5. Ernst & Young
Ernst and Young (EY) is the world’s second-largest accounting firm, working to transform businesses globally and provide insight into trends and collaborating to ‘build a better working world’.
The firm recognises the need for maximised value in energy decisions, and the long term impact that those will have both on the planet and the company.
EY produces a detailed annual report, the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index, which houses data on the current acceleration of green energy transformation. This Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) is the consultancy’s 61st issue and incorporates insights into market conditions and regional developments taking place.
4: KPMG
Operating in 143 countries, KPMG works with some of the largest companies in the world to drive positive, sustainable change.
Alongside working with its clients, the company is currently supporting the Energy Institute on the latest Statistical Review of World Energy. The 72nd issue of the review is publicly available, providing free data on energy production, consumption, trade and emissions to support the global effort to achieve net zero.
3: Bain & Company
Bain & Company believes that “only by doing the hard things right do we make big things happen”.
As one of the biggest consultancy firms in the world, the company has worked globally for decades to support its clients on the journey to cleaner energy, as well as improving its own practices.
Bain & Company has more than 60 experts in the Bain Advisory Network dedicated to energy and natural resource industries, and has served over 950 clients on over 3500 natural resource and energy consulting projects over the past 10 years.
2: Boston Consulting Group
Global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is pioneering the ‘Strategy For The Next Decade’, working with energy companies to work for the future including to decarbonise, fund the transition to renewable and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
BCG’s solution-oriented approach often uses its artificial intelligence (AI) expertise to ensure that clients always have their best foot forwards.
Pattabi Seshadri joined the company in 1997 and is now Managing Director and Senior Partner; Global Leader, Energy Practise. He leads the firm’s focus on the Global Energy Transition and cross over into energy-intensive industries.
“To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the focus must be on green tech to achieve mass industrialisation and find a quicker path toward cleaner energy,” Seshadri says.
“It's impossible for any single organisation to tackle these challenges alone. Early coordination, integrating new tech, securing capital, and fostering collaboration across the value chain are all a must.”
1. Deloitte
British-based company Deloitte is the world’s largest professional services organisation. It works to deliver the latest insights on clean-energy innovation, decarbonisation, sustainability, and digital transformation to its clients globally, working for a sustainable and resilient future.
John England is Senior Partner and Global Energy and Chemicals Leader for the firm and has been with the company for over three decades, which is where he began in Energy and Resources—then specialising into Oil and Gas.
“A larger acceleration of clean energy investment may require more time for demand to develop and technologies to mature”, England says in an article contribution to Forbes.
