In this episode of the Green Catalyst series, we meet Dami Aluko, a passionate advocate for sustainable energy access and climate resilience. His journey began in Nigeria, where early exposure to infrastructural gaps in energy access and a personal connection to the power sector through his mother’s decades-long career at the National Electric Power Authority inspired a mission to deliver clean, affordable, and equitable energy solutions.
1. What sparked your journey into sustainable energy?
My journey into sustainable energy was sparked by growing up in Nigeria, where I was exposed to infrastructural gaps in energy access. This was the norm, and it frustrated me. That frustration turned into curiosity, and then evolved into purpose. I was also influenced by my mother, who spent the better part of 35 years working for the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), a government-controlled body previously in charge of the country’s electricity. As I grew up, I realized that access to reliable energy isn’t just about convenience—it’s about education, health, productivity, and dignity. During that journey, I also came across climate change and global warming, creating the realisation that as much as I want to help increase access to energy, it must be done sustainably, without harming the future of the planet. And that’s what drives me: enabling clean and affordable access to reliable energy and delivering climate resilience.
3. Where do you see the biggest opportunities for impact today?
I wouldn’t call it the biggest, but one of the biggest opportunities now is the avenue to invest in sustainable infrastructure through a community lens. Investing capital in community-style projects, such as smart grids and microgrids, helps to accelerate the clean energy transition and captures benefits for multiple stakeholders at once. Big opportunities also lie in emerging markets, where infrastructure gaps present fertile ground for catalytic impact. The risk is oversimplification, treating these markets as homogeneous or ignoring local dynamics. Capital without context can do more harm than good. The challenge is to bring nuance into deal-making and shift from extractive models to enabling ones.
4. How do you approach building clean energy systems?
We don’t just keep community needs at the heart of the systems we develop; we build off of community needs. We design with, not for, the community. For instance, all of the smart grid systems we develop at SNRG start off with a well-detailed understanding of the local community’s needs and context. We are developing these systems for people, so it’s imperative to understand these people first. It’s not just about powering homes, it’s about powering aspirations. When communities feel a sense of ownership, technology becomes a partner, not an imposition.
5. What does leadership look like for you?
I see leadership as making room at the table while also rethinking who built the table in the first place. I use my positions to bridge technical expertise with community values and policy conversations. Whether advising a local community energy group or serving on a charity board, I focus on aligning incentives across sectors so that collaboration feels not just possible, but necessary.
6. What role do you see technology—like AI—playing in this space?
AI, AI, AI!! As with most industries and sub-industries, Artificial Intelligence presents lots of opportunities and hope to achieve and accelerate just and inclusive transitions.
7. What advice would you give to emerging professionals?
Stop waiting for permission. Start by doing one project that matters to you, no matter how small. Then build credibility by learning the language of impact, finance, and policy. Try to be fluent in all three. And most importantly, remain curious and values-led. This space needs thinkers who can build bridges, not just models.
8. What are you most focused on for the future of clean energy?
I’m increasingly focused on how we can scale smart, community-led energy systems as a cornerstone of the net-zero transition. The bold challenge I’m most excited to take on next is helping shift the narrative from top-down, centralised approaches to models that empower local authorities, housing associations, and grassroots initiatives to become true energy stakeholders. This includes exploring innovative funding structures, enabling policies, and digital infrastructure that make distributed energy viable, scalable, and equitable. There is a unique opportunity to lead the world in this regard, and I want to be part of the coalition that makes this vision a mainstream reality.
Final thoughts
Dami Aluko’s story reminds us that the clean energy transition is as much about people as it is about technology. By blending technical innovation with deep community engagement, he’s showing that a just, equitable, and sustainable energy future is possible—if we design it together.