Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector

The document establishes a business case for gender equality in the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector, asserting that women-led businesses are often as profitable as or more profitable than those led by men. It provides a framework of recommendations for DRE companies, civil society organisations (CSOs), and investors to improve gender equality at the community, organisational, and investor levels. The report includes 17 case studies from various global regions demonstrating the impact of gender-sensitive interventions, such as solar kiosks in Togo, feminist microgrid development in Haiti, and technical training for women in Brazil.

• Women are critical to the DRE sector because they are the primary energy users at the household level and are more likely than men to reinvest earnings into community services like health, education, and nutrition.
• Women-owned SMEs represent between 30% and 37% of all SMEs in emerging markets, and companies led by women or those with gender parity are as profitable as, or outperform, those led by men.
• To improve gender equality at the community level, DRE companies and CSOs should use gender-disaggregated data and community consultations to design projects and provide technical and business capacity building for women.
• Organisational gender mainstreaming requires a systemic approach, including the development of a Gender Action Plan, setting KPIs for recruitment and promotion, and implementing work-life balance strategies.
• Gender lens investing is hindered by a lack of clear business cases for private investors and a deficiency of standardised, gender-disaggregated impact data.
• Case studies demonstrate that digital tools can bridge the educational gap for women entrepreneurs; for example, Benoo's mobile application in Togo allowed women to manage sales and logistics independently, with one women-led business performing 30% better than others.
• In Haiti, EarthSpark International employs a 'Feminist Electrification' approach that ensures Energy Committees are comprised of at least 50% women to integrate female priorities into microgrid design.
• In Brazil, Iberdrola's subsidiary Neoenergia created the School of Electricians for Women (SEW) to train women in electrical installations and distribution grids, attracting over 21,000 applicants since August 2019.
• The DESFERS project in Mali, Niger, and Senegal uses a guarantee fund of EUR 2,272,349 to help women entrepreneurs access microcredit for productive equipment, with the fund protecting microfinance institutions against up to 50% of defaults.

APA

Alliance for Renewable Electrification (n.d.). Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Gender-Energy-Publication.pdf

Chicago

Alliance for Renewable Electrification. Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector. n.d. https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Gender-Energy-Publication.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |title=Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector |url=https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Gender-Energy-Publication.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allianceforrenewableelectrificationndwomen, author = {{Alliance for Renewable Electrification}}, title = {{Women Entrepreneurs as Key Drivers in the Decentralised Renewable Energy Sector}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, url = {https://www.renewelec.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Gender-Energy-Publication.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }