The path to a clean energy future is not defined by technology alone, it is shaped by people. The energy transition needs to move fast, and diversity is one of the levers that makes it move faster.
When teams are gender-diverse, R&D produces better solutions because more problem framings get tested. Diverse policy teams design fairer incentives, so adoption spreads beyond early adopters. Projects with inclusive community engagement get built, ones without it get blocked. Products designed by mixed teams work for more people, so uptake accelerates. Grid AI built by diverse data teams forecasts more accurately and prices more fairly, meaning less wasted energy and fewer people left behind.
Wider vision means more suited solutions. And in an industry as complex and urgent as ours, spanning solar, storage, EV charging, and grid infrastructure, that difference is critical.
The Barriers We Don’t Name, but Feel Every Day
Looking back at my career, I can say I was lucky in one fundamental way: at home, curiosity was never gendered. I had full support to follow science wherever it led, and nobody ever suggested it wasn’t for me.
The barriers I encountered were never dramatic, they were cumulative. Being talked over, not fitting the unspoken archetype of a researcher, the daily friction nobody feels they can name. I was told the problem was confidence, but that gets it backwards. When a system signals you don’t belong, stepping back is a rational response, not a personal deficit.
Then there are the structural realities: career breaks, caregiving responsibilities, climbing higher and finding myself the only woman in the room. It all adds up over time.
But through all of it, I’ve always carried my father’s voice with me: you can, just do it. And I did.
Leadership: Where Inclusion Becomes the Method
Breaking through traditional barriers taught me that leadership is not about authority, it’s about the environment you create.
My first lesson was that psychological safety isn’t just a compliance checkbox. It’s the culture that makes teams honest. Trust is the currency that opens doors that no contract can. Creating a space where people genuinely feel safe with each other changes everything.
The second lesson is communication. Building both formal and informal channels so people feel part of something, where they can laugh together, share fears, and truly participate in decisions, ensures every voice is heard, and no one is left guessing.
And the deepest lesson: inclusion isn’t the finish line, it’s the method. Leaders who understand this don’t just build better projects. They build teams resilient enough to sustain long-term thinking. And in an industry driven by innovation, that resilience is everything.
Mentorship: The Invisible Architecture of Growth
I never had a formal mentor, but informal mentors shaped everything.
The colleague who gave honest feedback that nobody else would. The senior person who quietly put your name in a room you weren’t invited to. The peer who told you how things actually work before you found out the hard way. I could fill a page with names, and they’ll recognise themselves reading this. Those moments were never small. They were everything.
At some point, the roles shifted, and I became the mentor. And that’s when I discovered something unexpected: mentorship is completely win-win. Accompanying young students, especially women, and watching them find their voice and fly gives back more than it takes.
Mentorship doesn’t flow in one direction. The more you give, the more you receive.
Building Inclusion Through Everyday Decisions
As a leader, fostering an inclusive culture starts with observation. Before changing anything, you need to diagnose what is actually happening around you.
Who speaks in meetings, and who gets interrupted? Who takes the notes? Who presents at conferences, gets named on papers, or is put forward for awards? Visibility compounds over a career, and if the same profiles keep getting the spotlight, the system reinforces itself regardless of intent.
Then comes action. Diversify hiring panels. Sponsor, don’t just mentor. Normalise non-linear careers and part-time work by modelling it yourself. Create informal spaces, lunches, and walks, because belonging is often built in the gaps between formal structures.
And importantly, call things out gently but consistently. Culture isn’t shaped by big gestures. It’s built through hundreds of small moments, handled well.
To the Next Generation: Don’t Shrink to Fit
Diversity isn’t just a fairness imperative; it’s a resilience strategy. It brings a wider range of visions, approaches, and adaptability that make teams stronger and better equipped to navigate complexity.
So my advice to a young woman entering this industry is simple: don’t shrink yourself to fit a room that was built without you in mind. And don’t change yourself to be accepted in it either. Not how you look. Not how you dress. Not how you speak. Your different perspective, your way of seeing problems, your lived experience, that’s not a weakness to manage. It’s exactly what makes teams more resilient and more creative.
The world doesn’t need more people who look and think the same. It needs you, as you are. Own it.
Delfina Muñoz is Research Director and Strategic Project Manager at CEA-LITEN's Solar Energy Department. An industrial engineer with a PhD in photovoltaics from the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, she has built a research portfolio spanning over 90 publications and 100 conference presentations focused on photovoltaic science and materials. Internationally, she serves as Co-Chair of ETIP-PV, sits on steering committees of key PV workshops, and will co-chair WCPEC 2026 in Korea, one of the field's most prestigious gatherings. Alongside her strategic and leadership responsibilities, she remains hands-on in the laboratory, directing PhD students and driving the next generation of photovoltaic technology.
Interested in joining Delfina Muñoz and other women industry leaders and experts at Women in Solar+ Europe? Find out more: www.wiseu.network
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.