Background and Objectives
The renewable energy sector is poised to play a pivotal role in India's sustainable development goals. However, despite the growing significance of this industry, the representation of women in technical, leadership, and field-based roles remains disproportionately low in the Renewable Energy Sector (RE). Recognizing the urgent need to make workplaces more inclusive and enabling for women, this project—titled "Improving Workplace Conditions for Women in RE"—has been launched under the WISE (Women in Solar Energy) platform.
This initiative is based on an extensive consultative process with women working across various sub-sectors of renewable energy. The study captured recurring challenges and recommendations related to health and well-being, workplace safety, work-life balance, and professional growth. These inputs have helped shape a holistic roadmap to make the RE sector more accessible, equitable, and supportive for women professionals.
The key objectives of the project are to:
- Assess current workplace conditions and policies for women employed in the renewable energy sector, including solar manufacturing, EPC, and field operations.
- Identify policy gaps and best practices by engaging stakeholders from industry, civil society, and government.
- Develop a voluntary recognition label that rewards organisations fostering gender-inclusive and women-supportive workplaces across the RE value chain.
- Build awareness and drive reform by conducting thematic campaigns, policy dialogues, and sectoral workshops, ultimately promoting adoption of the label across the RE ecosystem.
By integrating these elements, the project aims to institutionalise gender-sensitive HR policies and workplace practices that go beyond compliance and truly empower women to thrive in the renewable energy sector.
Scope of Work
| Activity | Description | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Survey Analysis | Analyse and compile survey data on existing workplace policies within RE organisations. | August 2025 |
| Site Visits | Conduct surveys at 2 solar manufacturing and 2 solar installation sites. (Gujarat if required can visit TN also) | September 2025 |
| Framework Development | Develop the structure and define areas of application for a voluntary recognition label "Good place to work at for women" | October–December 2025 |
| Checklist Creation | Create an assessment checklist for evaluating workplaces in the RE industry. | December 2025 – January 2026 |
| Label Launch | Official launch of the voluntary label/seal "Good place to work at for women" for conducive RE workplaces. | 8 March 2026 |
| Outreach and Capacity Building | Design and implement awareness campaigns to provide training on the label's application across various RE sectors; dissemination to be done at the workshop organized by NSEFI | February 2026 – May 2027 |
Outcome
The ultimate objective of this initiative is to position the WISE (Women in Solar Energy) platform as the apex representative body for women in the renewable energy sector in India, fostering a culture of inclusion, well-being, and empowerment across all segments of the industry.
This project aims to move beyond symbolic representation and establish systemic interventions that create measurable and lasting change in how women experience the workplace in the RE sector—whether in corporate offices, manufacturing units, or field operations.
The initiative aims to ensure that at least 25% of NSEFI member companies adopt the voluntary label "Good Place to Work at for Women in RE" promoting inclusive and equitable workplaces. It is expected to improve female participation and retention in technical and field roles, influence HR and ESG policies, build gender-sensitisation capacity across the sector, and showcase leading companies as models for reform and replication.
