Energetica India Magazine May-June 2021

and remarkable opportunity to harness the power that can lead to a more equi- table, safer world for women. In your view, what could be the rea- son behind few women found in lead- ership roles in the renewable energy space? D eepali K hanna : I believe that gender equity is both a necessary condition and a strong catalyst to achieving a green and equitable recovery. We have seen examples of women being left behind by the world’s response to new chal- lenges. This pandemic was no different, globally, women have lost jobs at almost twice the rate as men, making up 54% of overall job losses, despite account- ing for 39% of global employment, as per Mckinsey. With schools closed and many people working from home, pan- demic lockdowns have significantly in - creased the burden of unpaid care. Of unpaid work, women’s share is nearly tri- ple that of men. Yet, the global response remains largely oblivious to the system- ic barriers facing women across the globe. Regardless of where you are in the world, women earn less, save less, have limited access to social protection and are more likely to be employed in the informal sector, indicated by the United Nations report. Their capacity to cope with the economic shock, due to fewer resources at their disposal, and limited influence over the decision-mak - ing processes is therefore significantly less than that of men. Currently, only 20 percent of parliamen- tarians in the Asia Pacific are women, as per the Inter-Parliamentary Union report. It is pivotal that women representatives are included and consulted to advocate for policies with a gender lens to cre- ate favorable conditions such as social safety nets for women workers. Repre- sentation of women in high-up political positions can create conditions for an equitable distribution of leadership roles in various sectors. In order to solve the above-mentioned issues, women need to be able to be at the forefront of green recovery. Gen- der-sensitive recovery strategies will be critical in bringing about a transfor- mation in the renewable energy space. Therefore, we must bring gender con- siderations from the margins into the mainstream. In your view, what are the biggest challenges in the distributed renew- able energy space in India? D eepali K hanna : We at The Rockefeller Foundation recognize that Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) holds the key to reliable energy access and econom- ic empowerment. By comparison, DRE encourages resilience and self-reliance (Atma-nirbharta), by placing the assets in the hands of communities themselves as well as the innumerable environmen- tal benefits. In India, some of the challenges that we came across while working in the DRE space are: • The market lacked a structure for DRE transactions, backed by commit- ted blended capital partnerships. • Integrating and scaling transforma- tional Ag-Energy was another such challenge. We had to form SME invest- ment partnerships via existing and new relationships to drive electricity demand towards 300kWh/capita/year in smart power communities in a way that im- proves gender equity, nutrition and sus- tainability. • There also lacked a focus on ending energy poverty via DRE. • We had to significantly reduce de - ployment costs to achieve a sub-15c/ unit mini-grid price by scaling technolo- gy and procurement breakthroughs. How more women participation can be achieved in contributing towards a sustainable future? D eepali K hanna : We need more voices from women in the ecosystem and the opportunity to put in proactive efforts for a sustainable and equitable future. For this: • We must pay specific attention to the sectors where women have high repre- sentation but are under-paid, including the informal sector, labour intensive manufacturing services and small & mi- cro-businesses. And then we need to ensure that support services measures rolled out by the government aren’t gen- der blind. • There exists a principal need to equip women entrepreneurs with the skills and resources to act as a catalyst for the upliftment of their communities. This will generate assets and skills to transition from subsistence to sustainable liveli- hoods. • Women’s representation in political leadership can create conditions for a level playing field, especially in times when women’s needs can be easily overlooked. Women representatives must be included and consulted to ad- vocate for policies with a gender lens to create favorable conditions such as so- cial safety nets for women workers. What keeps you motivated? D eepali K hanna : My source of motivation comes from the continuous and ongo- ing efforts to inspire and create a large- scale human impact that is sustainable and equitable. The Foundation’s intense focus on innovation by identifying and accelerating breakthrough solutions in the form of ideas and conversations keeps me going. Also, the true impact on the ground that our work has and its ability to trans- form lives and bring an actual tangi- ble change to millions of people’s lives is a huge source of motivation. Every girl who can study under a bulb, every woman who can run a business as she has electricity, every farm that can in- vest in sustainable agricultural practices with reliable energy, every village that is powered by clean energy, every village that contributes to the country’s econo- my is inspiring and is my endeavour as well. 32 energetica INDIA- May-June_2021 WOMEN INFLUENCER