Abstract
Renewable energy will play an increasingly important role in both developing and developed countries in the future. The different implications of the wider use of renewable energy sources for women and men have hardly been examined, even though women's roles and interests in energy use and production have been well-documented. Experience in other sectors, and anecdotal evidence from the energy sector, suggest that women indeed have an important role to play in sustainable energy development. This paper, originally prepared to address the concerns of renewable energy technical experts at the World Renewable Energy Congress, reviews the literature on womenís involvement in renewable energy and presents some examples of the results of including or excluding women in renewable energy development. It addresses four questions: Why do women need renewable energy? Are women really interested in renewable energy technologies (RETs)? Will women automatically benefit from RETs? Why is a gender perspective relevant in the energy sector?