Building the Capacity of Women PV Instructors in Kenya

In 2015, Remote Energy co-founder Carol Weis, under USAID’s VOCTEC program, conducted a solar electric (PV) training program for a group of highly motivated and talented women engineers, technicians, trainers, and entrepreneurs in Kenya.

After the training, the group of women were inspired to build the capacity of like-minded women and close the gender gap that exists between male and female technicians in Kenya’s PV industry. The women worked together to form WISEe, (Women in Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship). WISEe has been collaborating with RE to build the technical capacity of Kenya’s female PV trainers and workforce ever since. Currently WISEe has 30 members comprising women engineers, technicians, trainers, and entrepreneurs who are committed to increasing the number of women involved in the design, installation, training and maintenance of high quality solar photovoltaic systems in the East African region. Since inception, WISEe has successfully delivered multiple Solar PV Trainings in Kenya, many of which have been in close collaboration with RE. Remote Energy in turn has developed their women’s program to address the low numbers of women seen in their co-ed trainings internationally.

Over the years, both organizations have worked in partnership to achieve a shared key organizational goal of delivering women’s only trainings that build the capacity of women technicians to design, train, install, and maintain high quality solar PV systems in Kenya.

In 2020, the relationship strengthened as RE provided continuing education opportunities for WISEe members to learn about solar installation safety, training best practices, and T3 off-grid system design and installation. After completing the training and co-teaching requirements, five WISEe members became Remote Energy trainers.  These trainers have since been co-teaching Remote Energy’s Solar Fundamentals online training program.