This week, Women in Solar Europe (WiSEu) gives voice to Deanna Greenhalgh, development director at SAS Energy, EDF Renewables UK & Ireland C&I. She says that earlier in her career, she sometimes felt like her knowledge and experience were not recognized, believed or expected by others. “I think this was a combination of being both young and female in what was historically a male-dominated industry, where customers, colleagues and suppliers were more used to interacting with older men,” she says.
My early career path was strongly driven by my enthusiasm to be part of the renewable energy industry and my curiosity to learn. I have worked with a wide range of technologies, which gave me a good foundation in the industry. I have taken advantage of as many opportunities as possible to attend conferences, lectures and networking events. This was challenging at times as I was often one of the few women in the room, but I pushed myself through the discomfort to further my knowledge and connections. Since then I have seen the industry change and develop. For example, at the first awards event I attended in 2016, there were about 30 women out of 300 attendees, and while the most recent wasn’t 50%, there were certainly more women in attendance than I could speak to! This demonstrates the steps individuals in the industry have taken to encourage and support more women entering the solar sector.
Earlier in my career, I sometimes felt that my knowledge and experience were not recognized, believed or expected by others and that I had to prove my knowledge before I was taken seriously. I think this was a combination of being both young and female in what was historically a male-dominated industry, where customers, colleagues and suppliers were more used to interacting with older men. I have been fortunate to have supportive male and female managers who encouraged me to be more authoritative. When I first started, I was often hesitant in meetings to share my opinions and suggestions. I have much more self-confidence now; practice definitely helps!
Specifically in the C&I sector, more women are joining this segment, including many more female engineers than when I started. This is a very positive step, and I am fortunate that within SAS Energy we have a gender balance of approximately 60:40 male to female. Women work in a variety of roles, although fewer people work on site, such as site managers or commissioning engineers. This status isn’t just specific to the C&I sector, as engineering and onsite roles in every industry tend to suffer from a lack of diversity, despite improvements over the years.
One important action being taken is continuing educational activities to facilitate the future diversity of the industry. SAS Energy and EDF Renewables regularly engage with local schools to provide information about career opportunities, explain the sector in the context of climate change, or organize visits to our operational locations. By increasing awareness of the roles available, the sector becomes more accessible in terms of known career options as young people make career decisions. Expanding the number of apprenticeship and graduate programs can provide additional opportunities, and mentorships, pairing women with female leaders, can highlight the potential growth available.
Active participation in networking is a valuable tool in the sector alongside more formalized training plans to promote a welcoming and inclusive work environment.
Finally, I would really like to encourage people to enter the solar industry. There is room for everyone to grow, and I would encourage everyone, especially women who often suffer from imposter syndrome, to seize opportunities with both hands. My best advice would be to present yourself at events. Even though networking can be intimidating, set a goal to talk to three people you don’t know and then be able to chat with people you do know! I discovered this approach to push myself out of my comfort zone, without putting too much pressure on myself.
Deanna is Director of Development at SAS Energy, C&I Solar Business of EDF Renewables, whose specific focus is developing, financing, building and operating on-site renewable generation for commercial and industrial customers. Deanna has worked in the renewable energy sector for over eight years designing, mitigating risk and securing financing for a wide range of sustainable energy systems. She started her career at OHM Energy, where she was able to build a broad knowledge of the sustainable energy sector. Since joining EDF Renewables in 2019, she has enjoyed focusing on the solar sector, working on a wide range of projects from 100 kW to 600 MW.
Interested in participating Deanna Greenhalgh and other female leaders and industry experts at Women in Solar Europe? More information: www.wiseu.network
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the author pv magazine.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
