It’s Not Just a Man’s World: How Ukrainian Women Are Becoming a New Force in Energy Recovery

17/ 03/ 2026

Listen to online Stop   While the enemy tries to plunge Ukraine into darkness, our women are building a new power grid. On March 14 in Kyiv, 51 graduates of the free Solar Step program officially changed their professional status to “project manager in solar power plant construction.” This marked the emergence of a new professional community capable not only of rebuilding what has been destroyed but also of setting new standards in Ukraine’s energy sector. The project’s inclusivity adds particular significance, as the graduates include internally displaced persons starting their lives from scratch, young mothers seeking professional fulfillment, and older women whose experience has become the foundation for new technological knowledge. For each of them, Solar Step has become an opportunity to join the energy front. What’s behind the certificate? The training program of the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, supported by Mercy Corps and educational partner KSE Graduate Business School, became an intellectual marathon where theory served only as a foundation for in-depth practice. The course instructors and mentors were exclusively industry practitioners: top managers of companies that have already built hundreds of megawatts of capacity in Ukraine. Over the course of four months, the participants literally lived through every stage of building a solar power plant: they began with technical design and the selection of engineering equipment, delved into the legal nuances of land acquisition and licensing under Ukrainian law, and later mastered the “economics of the sun”: from financial modeling to strategies for attracting millions in international investment. This journey culminated in a module on crisis management and mentorship, where future leaders learned to manage contractors and maintain control over construction even under the most unpredictable circumstances, making them versatile players in the energy market. The Context Shaping the Future The buzz surrounding Solar Step is a response to the global talent boom. According to IRENA, solar energy has already become the global leader in terms of new jobs, and in Ukraine, according to the state’s National Plan through 2030, the share of “green” energy is set to nearly triple. However, reality dictates its own terms: over 75% of Ukrainian energy companies are already reporting a critical shortage of professional managers. This shortage and the scale of the demand for change surprised even the organizers: when recruitment for Solar Step was announced in the fall of 2025, 1,457 applications were received. The competition - with 29 applicants per spot - confirmed that Ukrainian women are ready not just to wait for victory, but to build energy security with their own hands. Today, after four months of intensive training, these women have all the skills to turn sunlight into gigawatts for hospitals, schools, and communities. In these conditions, the success of the four participants who received job offers even before the final exam is a logical consequence of market demand. “We are witnessing an incredible transformation. Women who previously worked in marketing, law, or management are now calculating inverter capacities and coordinating the construction of renewable energy facilities. Solar Step has become a catalyst that has proven that the energy sector is a field of intellect and leadership where there are no gender barriers, only professionalism,” notes Yuliana Onishchuk, CEO & Founder Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, and curator and co-author of the course. From International Experience to a Job Fair The course’s conclusion turned into an energy forum where the initiative’s scope was revealed through dialogue between global and local levels. Abigail Ross Hopper, former president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), joined the online event and drew parallels between the development of the industry in the U.S. and Ukraine, inspiring the graduates to become a confident voice for the sector and to use women’s leadership as a strategic tool for growth. This global context was further explored by the project’s mentors during a separate expert panel. The highlight was the transition from theory to action: instead of traditional celebrations, the graduates immediately had the opportunity to test their skills at the Job Fair. The country’s leading energy companies set up booths for quick interviews, transforming the business school’s hall into an active recruitment hub. This allowed HR directors to personally assess the potential of new female professionals, while giving the women the chance to take their first real step toward a new career and secure a job offer on the very day they received their diplomas. Solar energy is becoming the “new IT” - the most promising and innovative sector in Ukraine. Solar Step graduates are the first major wave of female professionals who will ensure the country’s energy independence by 2030, when the share of renewable energy is expected to reach 27%. * * * For reference: The Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation provides renewable solar energy solutions for hospitals, water utilities, and schools affected by Russian aggression in Ukraine as part of the “100 Solar Schools”, “50 Solar Hospitals” and “Solar Water Utilities” campaigns. The foundation installs hybrid solar power plants with energy storage systems for social and critical infrastructure facilities to ensure access to education, the ability to provide medical services even during power outages, and to promote positive change on the path to a sustainable future. The foundation strives to instill a culture of conscious consumption of natural resources in the Ukrainian nation. That is why the foundation conducts a training course on “Sustainable Development and Green Energy” for children, raising their level of knowledge about sustainability and energy sources and instilling ecological habits to bring Ukraine closer to a green future. About 2,000 children have already completed the course.  The foundation received recognition at the National Charity Ukraine competition in 2024 and 2025, was awarded the Green Initiative of the Year award in Brussels in 2023, is a member of the European Solar Energy Association Solar Power Europe, the UN Global Compact Energy Initiative, and, since early 2024, has been part of a consortium of environmental organizations implementing the Renewable Energy Sources project in Ukraine. If you have any questions about the activities of the charitable foundation, please contact Kateryna Babych, PR Manager Energy act for Ukraine Foundation [email protected] 063 308 19 56 Website, Linkedin, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram

While the enemy tries to plunge Ukraine into darkness, our women are building a new power grid.

On March 14 in Kyiv, 51 graduates of the free Solar Step program officially changed their professional status to “project manager in solar power plant construction.” This marked the emergence of a new professional community capable not only of rebuilding what has been destroyed but also of setting new standards in Ukraine’s energy sector. The project’s inclusivity adds particular significance, as the graduates include internally displaced persons starting their lives from scratch, young mothers seeking professional fulfillment, and older women whose experience has become the foundation for new technological knowledge. For each of them, Solar Step has become an opportunity to join the energy front.

What’s behind the certificate?

The training program of the Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, supported by Mercy Corps and educational partner KSE Graduate Business School, became an intellectual marathon where theory served only as a foundation for in-depth practice. The course instructors and mentors were exclusively industry practitioners: top managers of companies that have already built hundreds of megawatts of capacity in Ukraine.

Over the course of four months, the participants literally lived through every stage of building a solar power plant: they began with technical design and the selection of engineering equipment, delved into the legal nuances of land acquisition and licensing under Ukrainian law, and later mastered the “economics of the sun”: from financial modeling to strategies for attracting millions in international investment.

This journey culminated in a module on crisis management and mentorship, where future leaders learned to manage contractors and maintain control over construction even under the most unpredictable circumstances, making them versatile players in the energy market.

The Context Shaping the Future

The buzz surrounding Solar Step is a response to the global talent boom. According to IRENA, solar energy has already become the global leader in terms of new jobs, and in Ukraine, according to the state’s National Plan through 2030, the share of “green” energy is set to nearly triple. However, reality dictates its own terms: over 75% of Ukrainian energy companies are already reporting a critical shortage of professional managers.

This shortage and the scale of the demand for change surprised even the organizers: when recruitment for Solar Step was announced in the fall of 2025, 1,457 applications were received. The competition – with 29 applicants per spot – confirmed that Ukrainian women are ready not just to wait for victory, but to build energy security with their own hands. Today, after four months of intensive training, these women have all the skills to turn sunlight into gigawatts for hospitals, schools, and communities.

In these conditions, the success of the four participants who received job offers even before the final exam is a logical consequence of market demand.

“We are witnessing an incredible transformation. Women who previously worked in marketing, law, or management are now calculating inverter capacities and coordinating the construction of renewable energy facilities. Solar Step has become a catalyst that has proven that the energy sector is a field of intellect and leadership where there are no gender barriers, only professionalism,” notes Yuliana Onishchuk, CEO & Founder Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation, and curator and co-author of the course.

From International Experience to a Job Fair

The course’s conclusion turned into an energy forum where the initiative’s scope was revealed through dialogue between global and local levels. Abigail Ross Hopper, former president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), joined the online event and drew parallels between the development of the industry in the U.S. and Ukraine, inspiring the graduates to become a confident voice for the sector and to use women’s leadership as a strategic tool for growth. This global context was further explored by the project’s mentors during a separate expert panel.

The highlight was the transition from theory to action: instead of traditional celebrations, the graduates immediately had the opportunity to test their skills at the Job Fair. The country’s leading energy companies set up booths for quick interviews, transforming the business school’s hall into an active recruitment hub. This allowed HR directors to personally assess the potential of new female professionals, while giving the women the chance to take their first real step toward a new career and secure a job offer on the very day they received their diplomas.

Solar energy is becoming the “new IT” – the most promising and innovative sector in Ukraine. Solar Step graduates are the first major wave of female professionals who will ensure the country’s energy independence by 2030, when the share of renewable energy is expected to reach 27%.

* * *

For reference:

The Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation provides renewable solar energy solutions for hospitals, water utilities, and schools affected by Russian aggression in Ukraine as part of the “100 Solar Schools”, “50 Solar Hospitals” and “Solar Water Utilities” campaigns.

The foundation installs hybrid solar power plants with energy storage systems for social and critical infrastructure facilities to ensure access to education, the ability to provide medical services even during power outages, and to promote positive change on the path to a sustainable future.

The foundation strives to instill a culture of conscious consumption of natural resources in the Ukrainian nation. That is why the foundation conducts a training course on “Sustainable Development and Green Energy” for children, raising their level of knowledge about sustainability and energy sources and instilling ecological habits to bring Ukraine closer to a green future. About 2,000 children have already completed the course. 

The foundation received recognition at the National Charity Ukraine competition in 2024 and 2025, was awarded the Green Initiative of the Year award in Brussels in 2023, is a member of the European Solar Energy Association Solar Power Europe, the UN Global Compact Energy Initiative, and, since early 2024, has been part of a consortium of environmental organizations implementing the Renewable Energy Sources project in Ukraine.

If you have any questions about the activities of the charitable foundation, please contact Kateryna Babych, PR Manager Energy act for Ukraine Foundation

[email protected]

063 308 19 56

Website, Linkedin, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram