Blazing the trail for female talents in technical RE

Introduction

According to Cherie Blair, “When you empower a woman, you empower a family, a community, and indeed a nation”. This points to the vital role women play across the board in the development space. Technological development is one of the crucial drivers of any country’s growth. Hence, the processes towards developing and improving technology must be all-inclusive, ensuring everyone in society is involved.

However, according to a 2019 publication by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), only 22 per cent of jobs in Oil and Gas are held by women. Also, the renewable energy (RE) sector employs about 32 per cent of women. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields still experience significant gender gaps, mainly because of gender stereotypes over the jobs suitable for women. Several women are discouraged from building careers in STEM, with black women facing the highest risks. These women face discrimination, unequal pay, lack of female colleagues, mentors and coaches, lack of career information, work culture, family and societal constructs, etc. The culture in Nigeria particularly makes it difficult for women to thrive without solid support systems, especially with responsibilities of childbearing, home-front care and child upbringing.

Background

RE technologies can be traced back to ships on the Persian Gulf and the Nile 7000 years ago. This technology has since evolved with several inventions, innovations and developments to make life easier and more comfortable. RE resources are not localised in some geographical regions but are almost evenly distributed across different locations. The deployment of this technology has seen a qualifiable positive impact in mitigating climate change, improving energy security and boosting economic growth.

According to an IRENA report, although the RE sector is rapidly growing, 75 per cent of women still perceive gender-related barriers to entering the industry. These gender-related barriers include societal views on gender roles, which vary based on the lack of timely access to information and network. Most women struggle with balance during childbearing ages, with family and work demands and requirements. The lack of flexible work hours, training, coaching and mentoring makes it difficult for women to thrive in the RE sector, especially in technical careers.

In the bid to encourage fair participation for women in STEM fields, a key matrix of measure is the fifth Sustainable development Goal (SDG 5). This goal is part of the 17 SDGs adopted by the United Nations in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. One of the targets of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) is to end all forms of discrimination against women everywhere.

As the world drives towards a net zero economy, promoting RE and focusing on SDG 5 in the energy sector would be vital for increasing female participation. To encourage this, many programmes are springing up to promote female participation and support female talents in the renewable energy sector. This support can be through internships, professional and mentoring networks, graduate/entry programs and fellowships.

Read also: Roles of corporate governance in promoting gender equity in the workplace

Opportunities in Technical RE

The RE industry is broad and getting broader with more innovations. This reflects the wide range of existing and new opportunities, creating more room for female talents to thrive. The COVID-19 era created a more conducive and favourable environment for the RE sector. Oil prices fell below zero, clearer skies were spotted in bustling cities, and fresher airs during the lockdown. Inactivity brought about the realisation of the impacts of fossil fuels on our planet.

These effects of the pandemic on the RE space have become critical drivers for renewable technology development and adaptation. There is more focus on the industry, creating more opportunities and more lines of value change as new researches emerge and older technologies are improved. The mainstream RE technologies include hydro, wind, solar, tidal, bioenergy and geothermal energy. Today, there are several developments in these technologies, like floating hydro, hydrogen, etc

According to Barbara Breitschopf in her research gate publication on the socio-economic benefits of solar and wind energy, there is a wide range of opportunities across the RE sector. These opportunities include project planning, manufacturing, installation, grid connection, operation and maintenance and decommissioning. The value chain segments can further be classified under various support processes, including policy-making, financial services, education, research and development and consulting. Given the massive public policy support for the sector, women can seize these opportunities and maximise them to thrive. Also, given the emergence of remote monitoring for RE projects, women can build skills. These skills include using software like google earth, Homer, PVSyst, Kobo collect, etc., and growing in their careers as professional RE system designers for home systems, commercial and industrial projects and mini-grids. Furthermore, knowledge of data management for remote management of small and large RE projects, software management, project management, and energy management can set women up for seats in the technical RE space.

There are several RE professional networks, fellowships and initiatives to support female talents. Examples are the Solar Queen and Green Tech Girls initiatives under the Girls and Women in Technology Empowerment Organisation (GWTEO).

Conclusion

Ensuring we close the energy access gap, leaving no one behind, is the collective responsibility of the global community. Therefore, we must close the gender gap by encouraging female participation in the energy sector. The potential of women to create thriving and sustainable technical solutions must not be overlooked. It begins from home; the orientation of the girl child from the bedrock concerning the definition of gender roles needs to change. Girls need to be trained with the mindset that they bring value, grit, inclusiveness and class to technical solutions and fields.