NREL Women in Energy (Text Version)

The women at NREL are researchers, analysts, scientists, engineers, and, most importantly, passionate leaders working for a brighter future who are driven every day to positively change how we make, store, move and consume energy.

The video begins with a montage of the women in this video.

Women in energy are … motivated … passionate … dynamic … visionary … driven … intelligent … resourceful … fierce … super-talented … pioneering new energy technologies …

Jennifer Kurtz, NREL Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Engineering Team: At NREL, I lead our Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Systems Engineering Research Team.

I love the fact that we can make positive changes on our lives every day through energy.

Shibani Ghosh, NREL Researcher: I'm a researcher here at NREL on distribution grid and integration of emerging technologies.

I love the fact that here at NREL, we have a very clear connect between the vision and the mission.

Bethany Sparn, NREL Senior Researcher: I love feeling like I can make a difference.

I work in the Residential Buildings Group at NREL.

Kate Anderson, NREL Group Manager for the Modeling and Analysis Group: I was an Air Force officer at Kirtland Air Force Base, and I just became really fascinated with this idea of sustainable buildings.

I manage the Modeling and Analysis Group… We're trying to find ways to make energy more affordable, more resilient, and cleaner.

Shibani Ghosh: In our Energy Systems Integration Facility, we have a megawatt-scale grid simulator, real-time digital simulator, photovoltaic and battery energy system simulator, and all of these advanced capabilities enable us to work with utilities to address the challenges they're facing now or maybe in the near future.

Bethany Sparn: My job has changed a lot over the years… When I started, the bigger picture was: how do we make buildings use less energy? And now, the question is: how can they use less energy while also helping green the grid?

I am focused on: how do we create systems in our houses that can respond to the grid?

Jennifer Kurtz: We're working to utilize hydrogen to handle the intermittency and variability of renewables.

That will allow us to add more renewables to our grid and still capture that valuable, low-cost renewable energy as hydrogen.

Shibani Ghosh: I get to work on a lot of emerging technologies like rooftop solar, battery energy storage system, electric vehicles, and how we can seamlessly integrate these technologies in the grid operation and make the grid a better, more reliable, more resilient one for future use.

Bethany Sparn: We need to work with utilities, understanding their specific challenges…

Kate Anderson: We work with utilities to help them understand how their rate structures impact the affordability of energy, particularly around renewable energy and storage.

Jennifer Kurtz: We are trying to take research from early-stage investigation and accelerate that into the marketplace and if we don't have partners like utilities… that doesn't happen.

Bethany Sparn: I'm really excited to see how many states and cities and countries are focused on working together to find solutions.

Kate Anderson: I love it. I'm really excited to dedicate my life's work to this mission.

Shibani Ghosh: My advice to all my future female colleagues would be: the world is your oyster… just be out there and be your passionate and dedicated self… if you want to make a contribution to the energy space, you're always welcome.

Jennifer Kurtz: Women are changing energy and energy technologies, and we have an opportunity here to positively change how we use, make, and move energy around in the U.S.