Energy transformation is no longer confined to the energy sector

Energy innovation used to be discussed as a challenge for utilities, renewables players and oil and gas operators. That view is now too narrow. The latest evolution of EnergyTech shows that digital energy innovation is increasingly shaping outcomes in food and agriculture, commercial operations and enterprise-wide sustainability. For leaders in these adjacent sectors, energy transformation is no longer someone else’s agenda. It is becoming a direct driver of productivity, resilience, emissions performance and long-term growth.

The shift is visible in how innovation is being recognized. Publicis Sapient’s 2023 Global EnergyTech Awards reflected a broader and more interconnected energy landscape, with categories spanning utilities, agriculture, energy operations, commercial sustainability, customer experience, and supply and trading. That category design tells an important story: the energy transition is now crossing industry lines. The most valuable solutions are not just changing how energy is generated or traded. They are changing how businesses operate, how assets perform, how customers are served and how sustainability is embedded into day-to-day decision-making.

Organizations in agribusiness and commercial sectors are facing many of the same pressures that have already transformed traditional energy companies. They must reduce emissions, improve operational efficiency, respond to evolving stakeholder expectations and build resilience into complex supply chains. At the same time, they are increasingly dependent on digital systems, connected assets, data platforms and intelligent automation to make faster and better decisions.

That is why energy transformation can no longer be treated as a siloed utility issue. Energy costs, carbon intensity, operational continuity and resource efficiency all have direct business consequences far beyond the traditional boundaries of the energy industry. As the grid comes under strain, as renewable integration accelerates and as organizations pursue carbon-zero ambitions, every sector with energy-intensive operations or sustainability commitments is pulled into the same transformation journey.

Publicis Sapient’s own sector approach reflects this reality. Its Energy & Commodities business spans not only energy and renewables and power and utilities, but also food and agribusiness. The connection is clear: organizations need integrated systems and data, digital journeys for energy-transition plans and customer-centric strategies that create both operational and commercial value.

One of the clearest signs of this shift came in 2023 with the introduction of the Best CleanTech Solution for Agriculture category. That category recognized that agribusiness is no longer adjacent to the energy transition from a distance. It is now one of the places where digital innovation can have immediate environmental and economic impact.

The 2023 winner, innerPlant, demonstrates why. InnerPlant enables crops to communicate what they need by generating optical signals when they require more nitrogen or when they are under attack from pathogens or insects. Those signals can be collected from field equipment and even satellites. This is a powerful example of digital innovation applied to sustainability and productivity at the same time. Better visibility into crop conditions can help operators target interventions more precisely, improve yields and reduce unnecessary inputs. In practical terms, that means fewer wasted resources, more intelligent operations and a lower environmental impact.

That is exactly the kind of intersection that now defines modern EnergyTech. The value is not limited to cleaner energy in a narrow sense. The value comes from using data, sensing and digital intelligence to optimize resource use across a complex operating environment. For food and agribusiness leaders, this changes the conversation. Energy transformation is not just about decarbonizing facilities or switching suppliers. It is about redesigning how the business uses energy, materials, land and digital insight together.

The 2023 awards also highlighted how customer and operational experience are increasingly linked to sustainable performance. Precision AI, winner of the Best Customer Experience Solution, uses advanced drones and custom-built AI to help accelerate AI-based farming practices. Its approach takes crop production decisions from the whole field to the individual plant level and integrates the outcomes into today’s agricultural technology while helping shape the machines of tomorrow.

This is a significant development because it shows that “customer experience” in EnergyTech is no longer confined to billing portals, retail apps or utility self-service tools. In adjacent sectors, experience can mean giving operators, growers and enterprises better visibility, faster insight and more actionable recommendations. It is a reminder that digital experience, operational intelligence and sustainability outcomes are increasingly inseparable.

For agriculture, plant-level intelligence can support healthier and more profitable farms. For enterprises more broadly, the lesson is larger: AI and data are becoming foundational tools for improving efficiency while reducing environmental impact. Energy transformation is increasingly delivered through software, analytics and automation that help businesses operate with more precision and less waste.

Another defining theme from the 2023 awards is the growing role of hydrogen-enabled solutions in broader enterprise sustainability strategies. HSL Technologies, winner of the Best Commercial Sustainability Solution, provides hydrogen transport and storage solutions designed to support a carbon-free future. Its work reflects how commercial sustainability is moving beyond high-level commitments and into practical infrastructure choices.

The same pattern is visible in the energy category winner and standout performer, water stuff & sun, which is developing hydrogen battery technology as a two-in-one storage solution for renewable energy. Together, these examples show how hydrogen is becoming part of a wider operational toolkit, not just a niche technical discussion inside energy companies. Storage, transport and integration matter because they create new possibilities for using renewables in real operating environments.

For commercial leaders, this is the strategic takeaway: decarbonization is increasingly tied to technology choices that affect logistics, storage, continuity and cost. Sustainability initiatives are becoming operational programs, and operational programs are becoming digital. Businesses that wait for the market to settle before engaging may find themselves behind competitors that are already using new energy technologies to create resilience and flexibility.

Across the awards program, a consistent message emerges. Digital transformation is the core ingredient enabling organizations to produce, store, trade and consume energy differently. But it is also enabling them to grow differently. Whether the solution focuses on distributed storage, crop intelligence, software decarbonization, hydrogen infrastructure or supply and trading modernization, the underlying opportunity is the same: use digital tools to create measurable impact for people, business and the planet.

That opens new value pools for sectors that may not have historically seen themselves as part of EnergyTech. Agribusinesses can improve productivity and sustainability simultaneously. Commercial organizations can integrate renewables, reduce waste and rethink operations around decarbonization. Enterprises with complex supply chains can use digital platforms and data to make energy and sustainability performance more visible, actionable and strategic.

It also reinforces the importance of collaboration. Publicis Sapient has consistently emphasized that organizations will need to partner with innovators to scale the skills and technology required to meet net-zero goals. That idea matters even more today because the relevant innovators may now sit outside a company’s traditional peer group. The next breakthrough for a food producer, retailer or industrial operator may come from a startup originally recognized in an EnergyTech context.

The energy transition is becoming a business transformation challenge for every sector that depends on efficient operations, resilient infrastructure and credible sustainability outcomes. That includes food and agriculture. It includes commercial enterprises. And it includes any organization whose growth depends on better decisions across energy, operations, customer experience and data.

The 2023 Global EnergyTech Awards make this evolution unmistakable. Solutions such as innerPlant, Precision AI and HSL Technologies show that the future of EnergyTech lies at the intersection of digital intelligence, operational performance and environmental progress. For leaders in adjacent sectors, the mandate is clear: do not watch the energy transition from the sidelines. Use it as a catalyst to rethink your own business, unlock new efficiencies and build a more resilient path to growth.

Relevant Links

• Publicis Sapient Launches First Global EnergyTech Awards
• Publicis Sapient Launches First Global EnergyTech Awards
• Grid Edge Innovation Is Rewriting the Utility Transformation Agenda
• A Practical Executive Guide to Partnering with EnergyTech Startups
• Les Global EnergyTech Awards : accélérer la transformation énergétique européenne par l’innovation digitale (Europe)
• México ante la oportunidad EnergyTech: innovación digital para acelerar la transición energética (LATAM)
• Lower-Carbon Digital Experiences for Energy Companies