WOMEN IN SOLAR AND SMART ENERGY
WOMEN IN SMART ENERGY Many leading roles in the renewable energy sector are occupied by women, however statistics reveal less than two per cent of PV installers are women. Why does this matter and what can be done to shift the gender balance?
THINK OF AUSTRALIAN ENERGY SECURITY and Kerry Schott comes to mind, energy market operations and the legacy of former AEMO chief executive Audrey Zibelman tops the list. Blockchain technology? Trailblazers Jemma Green and Maria Atkinson. Those at the forefront of farmers united in climate action? Anna Rose, Wendy Cohen and Anika Molesworth. The broader renewables industry contains many female thought-leaders and influencers. At the political level, Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, Zali Steggall and Cristina Talako are driving the charge from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and spearheading climate action advocacy are the likes of Amanda MacKenzie, Anna Skarbek, Lesley Hughes, Monica Richter, Kelly O’Shanassy, Zoe Whitton and Emma Herd. On a more practical level are Renate Egan, Vanessa Sullivan, Fiona and Ria O’Hehir, Kathleen Ryan, Barbara Elliston and a host of others including Nicky Ison who is leading WWF-Australia’s campaign to make Australia a renewable powerhouse. She told Smart Energy that women in the renewables industry bring their unique skills to the position and tend to excel in their chosen ambitious and sometimes unusual pathways. “They have set their sights on what matters to them and have brought vitality and determination to their roles,” Nicky said. Many women are playing vital roles behind the scenes, among them Gabrielle Kuiper who has enjoyed a
“There are many female leaders in the field of renewable energy policy and advocacy which is to be welcomed but female representation in the burgeoning PV trade is very low which is not acceptable in this day and age; we need to do far better.” 32 WINTER 2021
dream run in an impressive career devoted to the energy transition. A first-class honours in Experimental Physics was the springboard to her role as energy, environment and climate change advisor to then Prime Minister Julia Gillard. “You know that you’re in an incredibly privileged position and you work hard, being tested all hours to try and get the best public policy through to contribute to
“We have been looking for a long time to create gender diversity on our board as it means adding different skill sets to our board, women bring different perspectives and add dimension. For an organisation to build strength and health it is important to have disparate groups, he says. “You want to avoid ‘group think’ on any board or in any organisation and when you get people who are similar in age, sex and background it can compromise progress. “The SEC always encourages female leaders who want to grow their profile and have something to contribute.” But while there are many female leaders in the field of renewable energy policy and advocacy, it’s rather different in the hands-on PV installation trade. “Representation in the sector is very low which is not acceptable in this day and age; we need to do far better. That is why we are very supportive of the women in solar industry group AWISE and are doing what we can to Increasing the visibility and growth of the network.” Smart Energy caught up with AWISE member and installer Lily Pejkic of Sydney Solar and Batteries who traces the gender disparity in the PV installation trade back to educators and industry itself and a notable lack of encouragement at a grass roots level. The environmental scientist who is also qualified as an electrical engineer credits her former employer, a large power company, for inspiring her to get into the trade that she would not necessarily have considered. “What will it take to get more women become installers? I believe there should be more advice about industry pathways at schools, students would benefit too from mentorships and a program that eases them into the industry through an electrical apprenticeship, ideally that would be someone they know and trust who can teach them the trade skills,” she said.
substantial change,“ she told Smart Energy. “We had a brief period where there was a substantial decline in emissions as a direct result of the policies being put in place.” A subsequent role at Energy Security Board enabled Gabrielle to make significant contributions preparing for the ascendency of distributed energy resources. “There’s still an enormous amount of work we need to do to in technical, regulatory and market integration but the opportunity to develop a road map and work with the other energy market institutions to further some of those discussions was inspirational,” she said.
Representation Increasingly the glass ceiling is being smashed, particularly in policy and entrepreneurship and innovation says John Grimes of the Smart Energy Council whose Board of nine comprises four females.
SEC Board member and co-founder of AWISE Sam Craft is spreading the word about opportunities for women in the solar and smart energy industry
