Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Clean Energy Sector
Africa and Asia (in collaboration with ENERGIA)
Women’s entrepreneurship is a key driver of inclusive and sustainable energy transitions in Africa and Asia. At the same time, energy access offers increased opportunities for women to act as energy entrepreneurs, providing clean energy technologies and services such as solar systems, clean cooking solutions, and productive-use applications within their communities.
Several research and thesis students at TU/e study the gender & entrepreneurship dimensions of the energy transition, focusing on how access to energy, finance, skills, and institutions shapes women’s opportunities to start, sustain, and scale energy-related enterprises. This work is closely linked to ENERGIA – the International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy, connecting academic research with policy and practice.
Women Entrepreneurs as Agents of Energy Transitions
Women-led clean energy enterprises contribute not only to improved energy access, but also to income generation, social recognition, and shifts in local gender relations. Research shows, however, that these benefits depend strongly on access to training, finance, supportive institutions, and the ability to navigate persistent social and structural barriers.
Research with ENERGIA: From Energy Access to Empowerment
In collaboration with ENERGIA, TGD research examines if or how electrification and clean energy interventions translate into women’s empowerment and quality of life. This work demonstrates that energy access alone is insufficient, and that empowerment emerges through the interaction of electricity and energy efficient appliances with everyday practices, skills development, and gender-responsive support structures.
Opportunities for Students
This thematic area offers rich opportunities for Bachelor end projects, Master’s thesis projects, and internships, often in collaboration with ENERGIA, Hivos, and partner organisations working across Africa and Asia. We are also open to thematically relevant projects in other regions.
Possible research topics include:
Measuring women’s empowerment and quality of life in clean energy and electrification projects
Analysing and refining empowerment indicators used by NGOs and development organisations
Quantitative and mixed-method analysis using existing datasets on women energy entrepreneurs
Further development and application of Social Practice Theory–Capabilities Approach frameworks
Comparative studies across different cultural, geographic, and governance contexts
Women’s entrepreneurship in off-grid and decentralised energy systems (solar home systems, mini-grids, hybrid systems)
Longitudinal studies on how empowerment and energy-related practices evolve over time
Student projects typically combine qualitative fieldwork, framework development, policy analysis, and data-driven research, contributing to both academic debate and real-world impact.
Ongoing and completed projects at TU Eindhoven
Contact persons