Stanford hosted the 5th Annual Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium. This year’s theme: “The role of women internationally in decarbonizing our energy future.” The daylong event was presented by Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy, the MIT Energy Initiative, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Keynote speakers included U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols, World Energy Trilemma Executive Chair Joan MacNaughton, and U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.
During the symposium, eight midcareer women received C3E Awards for outstanding leadership and extraordinary achievements in advancing clean energy. Sarah Kurtz, co-director of the National Rrenewable Energy Laboratory’s National Center for Photovoltaics, received a lifetime achievement award.

“The nine women honored today represent nearly every facet of clean energy, from policy and finance to technology and entrepreneurship,” said Sally Benson, a professor of energy resources engineering at Stanford. “Their remarkable accomplishments are a clear sign that the gender gap is finally beginning to narrow for women in clean energy and other professions related to sustainability.”