“When I entered the sector in 1997, I was neither an engineer nor a man, so I had a double barrier to overcome. I understood absolutely nothing about energy, I didn’t know what kW or MW was, and I learned this over almost 30 years of my career,” shares Silla Motta, CEO of Donna Lamparina.
“Today, I see that all you need is a desire to learn, consume quality content, invest in self-development and take courses to improve technical skills and develop intellectual and behavioral competencies,” she says.
During episode #121 of season four of podcast Papo Solar, broadcast on Tuesday (11), Silla Motta and Raquel Zhou, general manager LATAM of Chint Power were present to discuss female representation and opportunities in the energy market.
In Brazil, only 7% of senior leadership positions are occupied by women, despite this, the solar sector has stood out as one of the most inclusive for women, with around 40% female participation, even suring other renewable energies such as wind and hydroelectric power.
Raquel Zhou shared her experience as a woman in the energy sector, both in Brazil and China.
According to her, female participation in the Chinese labor market has grown over the past two decades, with more than 70% of women employed. Despite this, Chinese society still maintains strong traditional roots regarding the domestic role.
“I’ve been turned down for some jobs just because I’m a woman. The energy sector has some very different requirements than more local jobs because you have to send people out of China and people think it’s more dangerous for women,” she explains.
“Today, the best commercials that are working here in Brazil are mostly women. So we are proving that we can do the job even better, in some ways, compared to men,” says Raquel.
Silla emphasizes that women's journey in the energy sector is still challenging. According to her, women still need to prove their skills more than men, facing both external and internal barriers and being questioned about their capabilities.
She also highlighted the challenges of motherhood, which is still seen as an obstacle to opportunities. “When I was pregnant with Laís, I was about to take on a leadership position and the HR director herself informed me that I would no longer be promoted because I was pregnant.”
Energy storage: the sector's new big bet
In addition to the debate on female representation, the episode also addressed one of the most discussed topics currently in the sector, energy storage.
“We also need to look at new opportunities in the market, especially in areas with less competition. The BESS (energy storage) sector is just starting in Brazil, and this year we will have the first auction,” says Raquel Zhou.
“Currently, many EPC contractors, integrators and even dealerships still have no experience with this technology. There is still a great need for qualified engineers who are familiar with the equipment and know how to correctly size, install and maintain the systems. Furthermore, the financial return for projects with batteries is much better than traditional solar systems,” she explains.
“Solar energy used to be expensive, wind energy used to be expensive. It’s all a question of demand. With the scale of production, batteries will become increasingly viable,” adds Silla.
Free Energy Market
Sila Motta highlighted that the free energy market in Brazil is growing rapidly and should become a reality for more and more consumers, as there are projects and regulations being discussed to expand the market for the common consumer.
In the free market, consumers can negotiate prices and conditions with suppliers, ensuring more advantageous rates than in the captive market. In addition, there is greater predictability and control of energy costs.
"In countries like Portugal, consumers can choose their energy suppliers in the same way they change their mobile phone operator. The local regulator even informs which energy source is most competitive at the moment,” explains Silla.
Watch the full episode
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