Women Energize Women
Kommunikationsmaßnahme zum weltweiten Empowerment von Frauen im Energiesektor
Women Energize Women #womenenergize ist eine Kommunikationsmaßnahme des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK) und wird im Rahmen der Bilateralen Energiepartnerschaften durch die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) und den Bundesverband Erneuerbare Energie e.V. (BEE) implementiert. Die redaktionelle Verantwortung für alle Beiträge trägt der BEE.
Ziel von Women Energize Women ist es, Frauen auf der ganzen Welt, die für die Energiewende arbeiten, zu informieren, zu mobilisieren, zu inspirieren und miteinander zu verbinden.
Women Energize Women baut zu diesem Zweck auf verschiedenen Maßnahmen auf:
- Monatliche Events (Diskussionsrunden, Interviews, Networking-Events…) mit interessanten und inspirierenden Frauen der Energiewende
- Porträts von weiblichen Rollenvorbildern im internationalen Energiekontext
- Verbreitung von Informationen zur Situation von Frauen im Energiesektor und wie sie verbessert werden könnte
- Kooperation mit etablierten und aufstrebenden Frauennetzwerken, Organisationen und Institutionen
Ausgeführt wird die Kommunikationsmaßnahme auf den eigens dafür eingerichteten Social Media Kanälen. Besuchen Sie uns auf Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn und YouTube und unterstützen Sie das Empowerment von Frauen im Energiesektor! #womenenergize

Women Energize Women
Communication initative for the global empowerment of women in the energy sector
Women Energize Women #womenenergize is a communication initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) within the scope of BMWK’s global project Bilateral Energy Partnerships and Dialogues. The BEE bears editorial responsibility for all contributions.
The aim of Women Energize Women is to inform, mobilise, inspire and connect women around the world who are working to advance the Energiewende.
To this end, the Women Energize Women builds on various measures:
- Monthly events (discussion panels, interviews, networking events...) with fascinating and inspiring women working on the energy transition.
- Portraits of female role models in the international energy context
- Dissemination of information on the situation of women in the energy sector and how it can be improved
- Cooperation with established and emerging women's networks, organisations and institutions.
The communication initiative will be carried out on it's own social media channels. Visit our social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube and support the empowerment of women in the energy sector. #womenenergize
Events
"Women Energize Women" Conference
as Side Event @ The Smarter E in Munich, Germany
Date: 12.05.2022 // 10.30am – 8pm CEST
Venue: ICM International Congress Center Munich (Germany)
The international Women Energize Women Conference warmly invites women and men working in the energy sector from across the globe to travel to Munich (Germany) for the chance to take part in discussion rounds, workshops and other innovative formats on energy and gender topics with exclusively female speakers. You can find more detailed information about the programme and speakers on the conference website.
This one-day conference deals with the pressing energy transition issues across the world by looking at them from a female perspective and actively involving female change makers. It facilitates professional networks and mentoring opportunities for women in the energy transition.
This event is part of the Women Energize Women (#womenenergize) campaign, a communication initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) in cooperation with The smarter E Europe and BSW Solar within the scope of BMWK’s global project Bilateral Energy Partnerships and Dialogues.
Join in to
- connect with other female energy experts,
- gain more visibility on international fora,
- and shape the global discussion on the energy transition.
Moderator:
- Geraldine de Bastion, CEO & founder Konnektiv Kollektiv
Registration
Please register here with your email adress. You will receive a confirmation some time after your successful registration.
Your Questions to Investment Experts
How to get Investment as a Female Energy Entrepreneur?
Date: 25.04.2022 // 2pm – 3.30pm CEST
Venue: Online - Event Link will be available after registration
As we explored in the January #womenenergize event, female entrepreneurs are faced with numerous gender related obstacles. Many of these obstacles are institutionalized and reflect the domination of male narratives in the business world. Especially when trying to obtain financing for a business, women have a noticeable disadvantage. This event aims to bring together experts on investment and financing and to let them answer the questions of female participants. How do I get investment ready? Which types of funds exist for me? What do I have to do to make my portfolio stick out? How can I tackle gender biases in the investor’s interview?
After a short presentation of the experts and their respective areas of expertise, the audience will be invited to ask all their questions. This event aims at supporting female entrepreneurs in their quest to obtain investments by opening a space for questions on best practices, dos and don’ts and useful tips for the search of investors.
Moderator:
- Geraldine de Bastion, CEO & founder Konnektiv Kollektiv
Speakers:
- Terezia Jacova, Head of Investment Relations and Education & Co-founder, LUMUS Investment
- Divya Balakrishnan, Advisor, GET.invest
- Katya Gratcheva, Lead Finance Officer, Climate Investment Funds
Registration
Please register here with your email adress. You will receive the event link after your successful registration.
Women Empowerment in the energy sector: Best Practices Worldwide
as Side Event with GWNET @ Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2022
Date: 28.03.2022 // 3pm – 5pm CEST
Venue: Online - Event Link will be available after registration
In order to achieve the global energy transition, all talents are needed. However, structural and economic barriers still exist for women to enter the sector and to occupy decision making positions. One of many powerful tools to create more gender equality in the energy sector is gender mainstreaming. Numerous different concepts and attempts of women empowerment are already successfully deployed in different parts of the world, especially in energy partnership countries. This BETD Side Event seeks to bring together representatives from these countries to shed light on the different approaches to gender mainstreaming and to identify common solutions, possible synergies and further needed action.
Moderator:
- Geraldine de Bastion, CEO & founder Konnektiv Kollektiv
Speakers:
Welcoming Words:
- Birgit Schwenk, Director-General for Climate Action, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
- Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Board Member, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ (tbc)
- Simone Peter, President German Renewable Energy Federation BEE
Speakers:
- Punkie Majola, Senior Engineer City of Ekurhuleni, former chair of AMEU Women in Electricity – South Africa
- Ruba Al’Zubi, Co-founder Together for Energy and Climate Society - Jordan
- Rana Faqihi, - Saudi Arabia
- Tania Sauma, Chief of Staff of the Chilean Secretariat of Energy - Chile
- Kathlen Schneider, Co-founder and Coordinator of the Brazilian Women’s Network in Solar Energy (MESOL) - Brazil
- Natalia Slobodian, Head of Department Climate Change and Environmental Protection, DTEK - Ukraine
- Prof. Li Ying, Dean, International Education Institute, China Women University (tbc) - China
Closing Remarks:
- Christine Lins, Executive Director Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET)
Registration
Please register here with you email adress. You will receive the event link after your successful registration.
Gender Mainstreaming in the Private Energy Sector
with Solar Sister
Date: 02.03.2022 // 5pm – 6pm CET
Venue: Online - Event Link will be available after registration
There is increasing talk about “gender mainstreaming” in the energy sector. But what exactly does this mean? In short, gender mainstreaming is a tool or a process designed to correct the imbalance between women and men in terms of opportunities, decision making and influence. Gender mainstreaming needs to happen on many levels to increase gender equality: on the institutional and public level and on the commercial level.
There are numerous companies that have introduced gender mainstreaming in their business model. In this session, we will focus on one particular example: Solar Sister. In this moderated
interview with Solar Sister’s CEO & Founder, Katherine Lucey, we will explore the motivation behind her work, the strategies and measures to advance women’s empowerment as well as
her advice to other businesses regarding gender mainstreaming.
Moderator:
- Geraldine de Bastion, CEO & founder Konnektiv Kollektiv
Interviewee:
- Katherine Lucey, CEO & Founder of Solar Sister
Registration
Please register here with you email adress. You will receive the event link after your successful registration.
Female Founders
Opportunities and Challenges
Date: 26.01.2022 // 4pm – 5.30pm CET
Venue: Online - Event Link will be available after registration
The entrepreneurial and start-up sector are highly important drivers for innovation. Especially in the energy sector, start-ups can often provide new, adventurous ideas from technological innovation, to energy provision, to small scale decentralized renewables. However, the entrepreneurial sector is still largely dominated by male founders and CEOs.
In Germany the share of female founders across all sectors lay at about 15% in 2020, in the US the share of start ups with at least one female founding member was at 28% in 2020. Is this rather low share due to unequal opportunities and obstacles for women in the start up sector? Are there differences in the granting of finance to women and to men? Are there specific obstacles to female founders, that are seldomly spoken about? Would you like to share a personal experience? And what are important steps to secure financing to female founders (both systemic and personal steps)?
Moderator:
- Geraldine de Bastion, CEO & founder Konnektiv Kollektiv
Speakers:
- Damilola Asaleye, Co-Founder Ashdam Solar Company (Nigeria)
- Dr. Rashi Gupta, Founder & Managing Director Vision Mechatronics Pvt. Ltd. (India)
- Aidée Zamora Espinola, Co-founder & CEO Grupo AMERALI (Mexico)
- Carina Klaffl, Head of Grow F Initiative, Female Founders (Austria)
Registration
Please register here with you email adress. You will receive the event link after your successful registration.
Best Practices in Gender Mainstreaming in the Energy Sector
'Energía + Mujer' in Chile
Date: 15.12.2021 // 5pm – 6pm CET
Venue: Online - Event Link will be available after registration
There is increasing talk about “gender mainstreaming” in the energy sector. But what does this mean in practice? In order to get insights into hands-on experience of gender mainstreaming, this virtual event aims to focus on best practices from Chile.
The event "Best Practices in Gender Mainstreaming in the Energy Sector: 'Energía + Mujer' in Chile" will be held in form of an interview with Javiera Aldunate, Director for International Relations at the Chilean Ministry of Energy. We want to take a closer look with her at the programme’s background, design, its best-practices and also obstacles.
Moderator:
- Geraldine de Bastion, CEO & founder Konnektiv Kollektiv
Interviewee:
- Javiera Aldunate, Director for International Relations, Chilean Ministry of Energy
Registration
Please register here with you email adress. You will receive the event link after your successful registration.
Launch Event: The Gender – Energy Nexus
Why gender equality is necessary for the energy transition?
Date: 22.11.2021 // 4pm – 6pm CET
Venue: Online - Event Link will be available after registration
Gender equality is a key determinant for advancing just energy transitions. Within these transformations, the greatest possible participation of all stakeholders is crucial for ownership and thus for national and international success. Women tend to be underrepresented in the energy sector, especially in decision-making or technical positions, while making half of the affected end users. This is particularly severe because gender disparities are barriers for reducing heavy costs on society in terms of reduced economic growth and slower poverty reduction. There is huge unleveraged potential and insight calling for more equitable participation as stakeholders in renewable energy policy making and implementation. Gender equality is a prerequisite and key driver for sustainable development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Agenda
- 4.15 – 4.30 Onboarding and presentation of the agenda
- 4.30 – 4.35 Welcome & presentation of panelists
- 4.35 – 4.40 Setting the scene presentation
- 4.40 – 5.40 Discussion Round
- Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy (tbc) - Ellen von Zitzewitz, Deputy Director of the International Energy
Cooperation department of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and
Energy - Rana Adib, Executive Director REN21
- Linda Davis, CEO Giraffe Bioenergy
- Christine Lins, Executive Director GWNET
- Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-
- 5.40 – 6.00 Open Q&A with all participants
Registration
The registration is already closed.
Event Records on YouTube
We are happy to present to you the #womenenergize launch event: "The Gender-Energy Nexus - why gender equality is necessary for the energy transition".
Launch event on November 22nd 2021
Kooperationspartner

Eine digitale Kommunikationsmaßnahme des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz.
WEW auf Twitter
Kontakt | Contact | BEE
Frau
Serafina Funk
Telefon: +49 151 1712 3008
Kontakt | Contact | GIZ
Frau
Katarzyna Rezza Vega
Telefon: + 49 152 9003 7522
Downloads
Blogartikel "Women, Gender Equality And The Energy Transition – Why It Matters"
Blogartikel "Gender equality as the goal – gender mainstreaming as the strategy"
Blogartikel "Obstacles and Opportunities of Female Founders - An Introduction"
Blogartikel "How can a feminist foreign policy further the energy transition?"