Opportunities for Women in US Renewables... and Getting Them There

The Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables… and What We’ll Need to Get Them There

A WREF Forum Sponsored by Women in Sustainable Energy

5/17/2012 WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables

Thank you to WISE, WREFLook at where women are in RE todayWhy its important to women and the

industryMeet a few of the amazing women in REHear their stories, suggestionsQ&A

Today’s Agenda

Leslie Martel Baer, ModeratorAnalyst and Strategist, Energy Intersections, LLC

Misty ConradSenior Technical Project LeadNational Renewable Energy Laboratory

Heidi VanGenderenDirector of Public Engagement, Office of the SecretaryU.S. Department of Energy

Erin WhitneyResearch Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Mary Ann ZehrSenior Transmission Policy SpecialistTristate Generation and Transmission Association, Inc.

Welcome

Where are Women Today?<10% of employees

and trainees in RE/EE are women

Myths abound:◦Myth 1: women are

not strong enough

◦Myth 2: RE or “green” is a fad

◦Myth 3: RE is too “dirty” for women

Why it MattersWomen may be

missing out on ideal positions

World energy demand may rise by 49% by 2035

RE and green jobs poised to grow by 4–31% by 2018

Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor. Why Green is Your Color: A Woman’s to a Sustainable Career. www.dol.gov/wb

Misty Dawn Conrad

Senior Technical Project LeadNational Renewable Energy Laboratory

1.75 MW utility scale PVAmerican Samoa

11 anemometersOrganic Rankine Cycle

American Samoa Power Authority

Workshops Strategies

◦ Energy analysis◦ Cost of energy◦ Energy awareness and literacy◦ Policy framework◦ Utility efficiency◦ Conservation◦ Energy efficiency◦ Renewable Energy Technologies◦ Workforce development◦ Transportation◦ Water

Define where are you, where do you want to go, what are your energy options and developing a plan to get there.

Technologist and engineerStakeholder facilitatorStrategic plannerPolicy analystProblem solver

CompetitionValidationLegitimacyExperienceSexism

Wearing Several Hats

Cross-cutting

Heidi VanGenderen

Director, National & Regional OutreachAmerican Council on Renewable Energy

ACOREEncompassesAll Forms of Renewable Energy

Mission: ACORE is dedicated to building a secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy

ACORE’s 500+Organizational Members

Strategy to assemble all the players necessary to make renewable energy successful in the U.S.

Addressing:◦Finance◦Policy◦Technology◦Market Development

Three StrategicInitiatives in 2012

National Defense & Security: Defining the opportunities for the expanded use of renewable energy in support of national defense

Power Generation & Infrastructure: Creating business models for renewable electricity in the 21st century

Transportation:

Creating a vision for a 21st century transportation infrastructure powered by clean and renewable energy and fuels

15WREF 2012 | Opportunities for Women in U.S. Renewables5/17/2012

“Up until 1842, women and children worked underground for a pittance doing hard labor that even robust men avoided or would find difficult. Some women actually wielded picks, but most were just treated as beasts of burden. They carried coal in baskets on their backs as they climbed up stairs out of the mine and in some collieries, they even had chains around their waists in order to haul wagons through narrow passages on all fours. Conditions were abysmal, the working day was long and there were no occupational health and safety regulations, and women and children were almost considered dispensible by many colliery owners…”Source: http://thehistorybucket.blogspot.com/2010/09/queens-of-coal.html

The Earnings Gap, 1984–2009

Erin Whitney, Ph.D.

Research ScientistNational Renewable Energy Laboratory

Policy Changes

Mary Ann Zehr

Senior Transmission Policy SpecialistTri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc.

Path to Where I am Today

• Naval Nuclear Power Plant Operator

• Began career at Tri-State G&T

• Became a North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) certified Power System Operator

• Obtained B.S. in Business with a specialization in Management from Regis University

• Senior Transmission Policy Specialist at Tri-State G&T

• Obtained M.S. in Global Energy Management from CU-Denver

2011-Present

Thank you for attending this WISE Sponsored Forum. Learn about WISE at www.wisecolorado.org. Leslie Baer

303.377.5006 leslie.baer@energyintersections.comwww.energyintersections.com

Misty Conrad misty.conrad@nrel.gov

Heidi VanGenderen202.586.7221 heidi.vangenderen@hq.doe.gov

Erin Whitneyerin.whitney@nrel.gov

Mary Ann Zehrmzehr@tristategt.org

Wrap Up, Contacts

Opportunities for Women in US Renewables... and Getting Them There

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