The 11th of February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and the focus of this year was how women and girls in science have contributed to several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities). Currently the work we at Decerna do aligns best with SDG 7 and SDG 9. SDG 7 aims to ensure that people across the globe have access to affordable and clean energy, whereas SDG 9 seeks to build resilient infrastructure, and to promote sustainable industrialisation. We thought we’d take a look within Decerna to see how some of the women at Decerna have contributed to the Sustainable Development Goals, and what their proudest achievements over the last year have been.
Jenitha works on the SMEES project, providing support and advice to local businesses about energy efficiency measures. Since starting at Decerna she has visited 25 different companies and provided energy advice to them. Jenitha’s work has helped promote sustainable industrialisation throughout the North East, by supporting manufacturing companies to install more environmentally sound technologies.
Jenitha said
This job has been my dream for the past few years. I have held onto my dream and finally ended up doing what I love, after so many hurdles and obstacles on my way. This has been my biggest achievement over the last year. I was proud when I was trusted to perform my first solo energy audit.
Shreya works on the Grid team at Decerna, helping to deploy large scale solar PV systems, and produce spade ready battery sites to decarbonise the UK electricity grid. Over the last year she has achieved her Advanced Project Management qualification and produced detailed financial models for several sites. Shreya’s work on solar PV farms and battery sites supports both SDG 7, and SDG 9.
Over the past year, Shreya said that her proudest achievement has been
engaging with Newcastle University students to provide mentoring and support to students looking to enter the renewables industry. This has been incredibly fulfilling, and I’ve loved working with them to help shape their futures.
