Case Study / Island Energy Transition
Xynteo: The Right People in the Room for Island Energy
How Island Innovation turned a remote workshop in Samso into a launchpad for island battery storage.
Client: Xynteo
islands shortlisted for near-term BESS adoption
stakeholders mapped across EU, regional and island networks
representatives secured across key stakeholder groups
A workshop on island energy transition is only as good as the people who turn up. Xynteo knew that. So when they planned a session on Battery Energy Storage Systems in Samso, Denmark, one of the world's first fully renewable energy-powered islands, they did not start with a venue. They started with a question. Who actually needs to be here, and how do we get them through the door. They brought that question to Island Innovation.
The Challenge
Xynteo, a global advisory firm focused on sustainable business transformation, was organising the Islands Catalysation Workshop in Samso to design energy transition services built around real island needs, with Battery Energy Storage Systems-as-a-Service at the centre. The ambition was to bring residents, community leaders, policymakers and technical specialists together in one room.
A contact list was never going to be enough. The brief demanded judgement, relationships and reach: knowing which islands had genuine near-term potential for BESS adoption, and reaching the organisations across Europe best placed to act on it. A remote location and a tight organisational timeline left no margin for the wrong people in the room.
Our Approach
We started with potential. Drawing on our knowledge of the island energy ecosystem, we identified and shortlisted three islands with strong near-term prospects for adopting BESS technologies, and gave Xynteo high-level profiles on each to support engagement after the workshop and longer-term partnership development.
Then we built the room. Working through our established network across the European island ecosystem, we mapped 15 key stakeholders: nine workshop participants drawn from EU, regional and island networks, and six island-based contacts earmarked for deeper follow-up. For each, we led personalised outreach, shared tailored briefing materials and made warm introductions to the Xynteo team. That groundwork turned a list of names into genuine interest, and genuine interest into attendance.
Islands Catalysation Workshop
26 November 2024 · Samso, Denmark
Representatives from across the target stakeholder groups in the room, secured against a remote setting and a tight timeline.
The Results
The Islands Catalysation Workshop went ahead on 26 November 2024 in Samso, with representatives from across the target stakeholder groups in the room, secured against a remote setting and a tight timeline.
Xynteo pointed to exactly that as the win. The client recognised the quality of the engagement, valued Island Innovation's active participation on the day, and described our contribution as central to the success of the event despite the remote location and compressed schedule.
The Outlook
The relationship did not end there. Following the workshop, Xynteo expressed interest in continuing to work with Island Innovation into 2025, carrying the momentum from Samso into the next phase of their energy transition programme.
The outcome often comes down to who is in the room.
If your organisation is working to move island energy, climate or resilience from ambition to action, that is what we do. Talk to Island Innovation about organising the room that moves your work forward.
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