Women currently make up about one-fifth of the energy workforce. In 2018, women accounted for 20% of the energy industry’s workforce, despite making up nearly 40% of workers globally. Many advancements in the energy industry would not have been possible without the brilliant minds and hard labor of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In honor of Women’s History Month, NES is highlighting notable women whose past and present work has left a significant imprint on the energy industry.
Edith Clarke
In 1921, Clarke invented a calculator to accurately and quickly characterize long transmission lines. This invention revolutionized electric grid technology and helped save time spent on manual calculations. Known as a human computer at General Electric, Clarke also helped develop hydropower turbines used at the Hoover Dam and was:
- the first woman to earn a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- the first female electrical engineering professor in the United States
- posthumously inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2015.
Maria Telkes
During World War II, Telkes – nicknamed the “Sun Queen” – invented an emergency solar-powered desalination kit to make seawater drinkable for pilots and sailors stranded in the Pacific. Following the war, she created a solar-powered home heating system, invented a solar-powered oven, and worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to create the first solar-electric home in 1980. A pioneer in solar energy and research development, Telkes also studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Katharine Burr Blodgett
Blodgett was the first female scientist at General Electric Research Laboratories and the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge University. In 1938, Blodgett invented nonreflective, transparent glass that is found in many everyday products like eyeglasses, microscopes, cameras and solar panels. The anti-reflective coating on the glass repels water and enhances efficiency. It has been virtually unchanged and is used to enhance electrical conductivity in light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs.
Denise Gray
Gray founded General Motors’ battery lab and spearheaded the development and implementation of the lithium-ion battery system used in the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt. Gray is known at the “battery czar” at General Motors, and was named Women of Color Magazine’s 2017 Technologist of the Year. Gray also received the U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Initiative’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Hats off to all of the women working in the energy industry who are making a difference, breaking barriers and diversifying the field each day.
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