July marks the one-year anniversary of our Women in Solar Energy (WISE) network! Started in July 2025, WISE was created through TEA@SUNRISE in response to a need for greater connection, support, and visibility for women in the solar energy and energy access sectors.
What is Women in Solar Energy (WISE) and who is it for?
WISE is an inclusive and welcoming space within the TEA@SUNRISE network that connects women for mentorship, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. We hold monthly informal online sessions for women working in or aspiring to work in the solar energy and energy access sectors. Open to anyone who identifies as a woman, the network embraces diverse cultural backgrounds, career stages, and disciplines. Our 56 members range from students to post-doctoral researchers to professors, as well as professionals and entrepreneurs in industry and non-profits.
We’ve held 10 WISE meetings to date, 7 of which have had guest speakers. Speakers have included Ifeoma Malo, Nigerian lawyer and CEO of Clean Tech Hub Nigeria, and Dr Priyadarshini Karve, Founder Director of Samuchit Enviro Tech. Some sessions have had a dedicated topic, while others were more broad discussions. Most recently, we heard from Professor Marina Freitag who talked about her experiences of mentoring, both as a mentee and a mentor.
Ifeoma Malo said of the network:
“WISE is one of those rare networks that marries both leadership building with core technical expertise thinking and collaborative community. I have learnt so much from the many sessions that I have participated in and looking forward to more co-creation and collaboration from this network.”
Why did we start WISE?
Although women are making significant contributions across the solar sector, they are still underrepresented in the solar value chain. This is not due to a lack of interest, talent, or ambition, but because of a range of structural and cultural barriers. The WISE network is not about excluding men, but about providing extra support and solidarity for women by women.
Dr Carol Maddock, inclusivity lead for TEA@SUNRISE, added:
“Creating spaces where women can build confidence, expand their networks and support one another through informal conversations and inspirational talks, is essential to a more inclusive solar sector. When we invest in women, we strengthen the sector as a whole by bringing a richer diversity of perspectives, experiences and ideas to the clean energy transition.”
What’s next for the Women in Solar Energy?
We want to continue evolving in response to what our members value the most. One of the strongest messages from recent feedback was that they wanted mentoring opportunities and to hear from women at different stages of their careers. So, we are looking into setting up an informal mentorship scheme that will match women within WISE who are interested in providing or receiving mentoring.
We’re also planning future sessions on career development, leadership, research collaboration and emerging topics identified by members themselves. Our ambition is for WISE to remain a community that is shaped by its members and that continues to support meaningful connections, share opportunities and champion greater inclusion across the solar energy sector.
If you’re interested in joining the WISE network, please sign up to TEA@SUNRISE here and tick the box for joining WISE.
Hear from our WISE members
“Being part of WISE has been genuinely valuable, it’s great to be part of a group where you can swap experiences and hear international stories from people tackling similar problems in different contexts. It’s clearly a space that was needed; there wasn’t really anywhere else doing this kind of peer exchange. It’s exciting to see it growing, and I’d love for that to continue.”
— Sri Hollema, Founder & CEO of Mat Zero
“Over the past year, WISE has become much more than a network—it has created a space where outstanding female researchers openly share their journeys, challenges, and achievements. Seeing their dedication, resilience, and passion has been both inspiring and empowering.
In a world where visible role models matter more than ever, WISE reminds us that excellence is built through perseverance, courage, and the willingness to keep moving forward despite obstacles. The Network is inspiring the next generation of female researchers to believe that their ambitions are within reach.
Thank you for building a community that celebrates talent, amplifies voices, and shows us that with determination and persistence, extraordinary things are possible.
Happy first anniversary, for many many years to come!”
— Prof Monica Lira Cantu, ICN2
“Thank you WISE network for creating a space where women in solar can learn, lead, and inspire one another. This network has shown me that representation truly matters. It has been inspiring to connect with women who are leading change in the solar sector and who generously share their knowledge, experiences, and passion for expanding access to clean energy. Listening to their journeys has strengthened my confidence and motivated me to pursue even greater impact in renewable energy.”
— Dr Damilola Oyetade, University of KwaZulu-Natal
“Working in a small, majority male company, WISE is the only time I get to engage with solar in a space with just other women, and a couple of the sessions have ended up being the only time I interacted with other women on that day. I love my male colleagues, but they often cannot relate to my experiences or priorities, whereas in WISE I see these echoed, which helps me feel more confident in my abilities and more determined in my decision-making. The diversity of speakers and members is brilliant, and I really appreciate the personal stories that the ladies of WISE share alongside their professional and technical expertise. Ifeoma Malo’s seminar has stuck with me, particularly her experience with the survivors of the Chibok girls kidnapping and its impact on her work, and her focus on retention of women beyond recruitment in the sector.”
— Anonymous
“WISE has shown me that, despite the challenges women face in the solar sector, we can succeed and advance to the highest levels of our careers.
It has provided valuable opportunities to connect with women in solar, leading to meaningful collaborations that are strengthening our research outputs, including a joint publication.
The speakers have been brilliant, and I particularly appreciate the safe space WISE provides, where people can be authentic, share openly, and speak freely.
Happy first anniversary to WISE, and here’s to many more years of connection and impact.”
— Favour Ibezim, Swansea University
“Although I have not been able to attend many meetings, I think WISE is a necessary and useful initiative. Gender equity in the energy sector has many dimensions to it, including differences in access to energy, but building solidarity among women contributing to the R&D of what is going to be the backbone of the future (and that too not very distant future hopefully!) of energy globally, while that future is being built is very important. I feel that while WISE works primarily as a platform allowing women in solar energy to interact and possibly collaborate, it should also now start acting on one of the ideas discussed early on: creating an open-source directory of women working on different aspects of solar (and other renewable) energy. In most other traditional scientific fields we are seeing the historical contributions of women highlighted only after the fact. Documenting and highlighting the contributions as they happen is far better!”
— Dr Priyadarshini Karve, CEO Clean Energy Access Network
Thank you to Dr Carol Maddock and Sara Walters for their contributions to this blog post.