Women in The Swiss Wind Energy R&D Network

The Swiss Wind Energy R&D Network actively promotes equality by increasing the visibility of under-represented groups. As women are strongly under-represented in wind energy R&D, we are committed to celebrating their achievements and in doing this, providing young people with strong female role models. On this web page we celebrate the brilliant women in our network by regularly publishing interviews with them. Currently, 11 of our 78 members are women!

Please tell us a little bit about what you do and why!

I am proud to work in a field with a positive impact in our planet. The deeper “why” comes from my parents, and specially from my mother. She is a very hardworking and intelligent person, who transmitted me her passion about mathematics and physics. After studying Industrial Engineering, I was curious about the new environmentally friendly energy sources, so I decided to study a Master in Engineering and Management of Renewable Energies. I started my first job in Endesa (Spanish utility) in 2006 as engineer of solar projects. Since then, I have been working in several companies in the renewable energy sector with roles related to project development, design, construction, and technical risks assessment to support the decision of investing in a project. I am currently changing jobs. In 2021 I will join Alpiq, as Project Manager of Renewable Energy projects, including wind projects. I am very excited about this new stage!

Which hurdles did you encounter on the way to your current position? How did you overcome them?

The main difficulty that I have faced is the massive changes of the regulatory framework in the sector. This creates a lot of uncertainty at all levels, from developers to investors. In my case the consequence has been having to change jobs very frequently. This professional uncertainty generated personal insecurities and frustrations, which increased when facing the question of having kids. I overcame this by focusing on the present and learning as much as possible from each experience.

How do you think under-represented groups such as women in wind energy can be strengthened?

In my opinion improving the balance in regards parental duties has an important role to strengthen women in the work environment. My view is that the obligations that mothers have, given some of them by the society, should be shared with their partners to improve the current imbalance. This includes for example the time for parents leave. I believe that having safe spaces to openly share experiences and concerns would help to increase awareness of this situation, between both men and women. Raising awareness is the first step to work on a solution :-)

Do you have an advice to young women interested in getting into wind energy?

I would advise to keep the mentality of a “continuous learner”. This specially includes learning and developing soft skills. I believe that emotional intelligence is as important as any technical knowledge, given our current changeable work environment.

Please tell us a little bit about what you do and why!
I work as an advisor in enabling renewable energy investment at Pexapark based in Zurich. More specifically I provide advice on how to best structure and negotiate long-term purchasing contract that enable financing for large renewable projects. It is great to contribute to the energy transition and I feel lucky that I get to work across multiple countries and markets.

Which hurdles did you encounter on the way to your current position? How did you overcome them?
The world of investment, even in renewable energy, is strongly male dominated. It is not always easy to navigate in that world as you always “stand out” in a way. I am still learning to navigate; however, finding allies and support within my peers and trying to raise awareness around the fact that being the only woman in a group of men is not “comfortable” have been ways for me to steer through the industry. That said, I do not think we should get used to this, it must change and be recognised as what it really is, an economic and business issue.

How do you think under-represented groups such as women in wind energy can be strengthened?
I think it is important to create a safe space where common issues related to under-representation can be shared. It is helpful to create a network of colleagues and mentors within the industry, men and women to find help and guidance. Creating groups, social events to connect people in the industry is a good way to strengthen under-represented groups such as women in wind. At a business level, making management more accountable to ensure that women are hired and more importantly to make sure they stay in the company is important. It could be incentivised in a way for example, highlighting awards or achievements of companies that work on improving their diversity and inclusion.

Do you have an advice to young women interested in getting into wind energy?
Go for it, learn as much as you can and build a strong network within the industry as early as possible. It will support you throughout your whole career and you will build a stronger profile for yourself.

Please tell us a little bit about what you do and why!
”I am a researcher at Zurich University of Applied Sciences. I am developing prognostics and condition monitoring algorithms for wind parks and other complex industrial assets which increase their reliability and efficiency based on machine learning approaches and sensor information. I love my work. And I find it motivating to know that it also helps facilitate the energy transition which is one of the major challenges of our century.”

Which hurdles did you encounter on the way to your current position? How did you overcome them?
”I don’t remember any specific hurdles for women. However, looking at the organizations I have been working in, I can say that most of them still have only few women in leadership positions and few female role models overall. Even today there is predominantly female administrative staff and male management staff. Except for my doctoral co-advisor Prof Lohmann at ETH Zurich, there has never been a woman in the hierarchy lines above my position in the organizations I worked in, which is astonishing. Personally I got used to often being the only woman in the room. But I am convinced that expert organizations thrive on an open innovative culture and staff that better reflects traditionally underrepresented groups.”

How do you think under-represented groups such as women in wind energy can be strengthened?
” For sure there are many possibilities. To name a few of them, for instance, when it comes to career progression or to funding decisions, transparency in the recruitment process and decision criteria plays a key role. Organizations can commit to having their processes, promotion and salary schemes certified and checked for biases with regard to underrepresented groups. Even legislated quotas for under-represented groups can be a way forward in boards and committees in view of strong imbalance.”

Do you have an advice to young women interested in getting into wind energy?
”Work on things you love to do and work with people who support you. Start a project that you enjoy working on. Find people and teams you enjoy collaborating with and get to know others working in this field. Present you work, communicate your achievements.”

Please tell us a little bit about what you do and why!
”I work as a project manager for vento ludens Suisse in Yverdon-les-Bains and I enjoy working for this company which enables us to participate in the whole project life-cycle from project inception and planning to energy production and operation. We have a common great goal and the successful realisation of renewable, sustainable, clean energy is a splendid source of motivation. I’m mainly responsible for the environmental aspects and the spatial planning. The planning of a wind farm is multifaceted though and this is another thing that I like, working on such a variety of interesting topics.”

Which hurdles did you encounter on the way to your current position? How did you overcome them?
”I don’t think I encountered any gender specific barriers or hurdles. I would rather say that I was very lucky and I thank all those people that encouraged me, my family, friends - all the people who helped me on my way to that current position.”

How do you think under-represented groups such as women in wind energy can be strengthened?
”Switzerland’s 21st century is a rather good place to be for a woman, I guess. But that is not the case everywhere and hasn’t always been like this here either. We have to continue that work for equality, equity and the empowerment of women, since there is still room for further improvement. For a start we can ourselves promote other women whenever possible. More comprehension and flexibility concerning pregnancy or childcare, equal pay and also enabling women to progress into senior leadership roles remain challenges, but these are not specifically just in this sector.”

Do you have an advice to young women interested in getting into wind energy?
”If you really want it, do your thing, be determined and follow your passions, you can do it.”

Please tell us a little bit about what you do and why!

“I am an environmental practitioner working in the area of environmental management surround wind energy. I am a project manager at nateco AG and am responsible for the area of wind energy. I have always had a keen interest in the environmental and finding pragmatic solution that balances the use and protection interests in a meaningful way. Having grown up in Canada with a father who is a passionate forester my interest in the topic originated here. Later in my studies relating for water management and forest science I got to take part in exciting research studies relating to topics such as climate change effects and mitigation. During a number of years of environmental consulting for industry, I gained meaningful perspective and experience there. During my masters in Bioresource Engineering at McGill, there a large focused on integrated management, global solutions, and climate change.  In 2016 I came to Europe and am now working in the area of wind. I love doing what I do because it is contributing to the larger goal of reaching climate change targets and requires cross sector thinking. I enjoy the innovative side of wind energy and the opportunity for big picture thinking.”

Which hurdles did you encounter on the way to your current position? How did you overcome them?

“One of the hurdles I encounter in my work on a daily basis is finding the appropriate balance between fulfilling regulatory requirements, ensuring protection of the environmental factors at play and finding pragmatic and efficient solutions for project developers. The solution is often found through dialog in order to identify the key factors that are essential and need to be accommodated for.”

“Another hurdle I encounter on a daily basis is juggling priorities in order to get clients the answers they need but also forge ahead on project task that need to be accomplished. I use my to-do lists to prioritize and practice saying “no” sometimes to do this.”

How do you think under-represented groups such as women in wind energy can be strengthened?

“I think sometimes wind energy, being dominated in large part by technical jargon and project engineer can be intimidating to women. I think the representation of women could be strengthened by providing opportunities for involvement not only relating to wind energy technology but also relating to social acceptance, stakeholder engagement aspects, or environmental management etc. The more approachable the topic is made, the more interesting it is to be involved. There are lots of opportunities for interdisplinary work in the area of wind and we to be sure to communicate this.”

Do you have any advice to young women interested in getting into wind energy?

“My advice is to do it! It sometimes takes a bit of a thick skin but it is an interesting area and it is a great group of people and a fascinating topic.”