Sector News
WIND ENERGY: A PERSPECTIVE ON GENDER
Wind energy, like many other parts energy industry worldwide, continues domination by males. Still, opportunities exist for improving gender balance, larger use of women skills, and, entrench wind power as part of an inclusive and sustainable energy system for the future.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) conducted the survey jointly with the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET).
The Survey
The survey sought evaluating the importance of barriers to recruitment in wind industry.
Because norms and roles are similar in origin, they, in fact, reinforce each other. Many respondents also highlighted the lack of gender targets and the prevalence of certain hiring practices as important. Both may give a sight as an expression of male-biased norms. And thus, to some extent a variation of the top two barriers. Other barriers has shown less correlation, especially educational backgrounds and self-perceptions of women. Results reveal that participants are confident that women in the field have proper preparation for entrance into sector.
Gender pay imbalance in same works are difficult to asses for some reasons, but the perception of a persistent gap remains strong. The literature and other surveys show that in the wider economy, pay gaps widen as women move up the career ladder, and therefore the biggest inequities exist for executive positions.
Pay Imbalance
Pay discrepancies between men and women can weaken the appeal of an industry. Understandably, they may temper women’s interest in joining an enterprise or other organisation, or their desire to remain for the long run. While IRENA’s survey did not include any pay data, it reveals respondents’ perceptions.
Individual respondents were asked for men’s and women’s equal works and payments. Overall, 40% of all respondents believed that men were paid more for equivalent work. 60% believed that pay was equal or higher for women for the wind sector. The replies indicate that respondents perceive less pay inequality in the wind sector than in the overall economy. 68% of the respondents perceive that men are paid more .
No Difference Based on Region or Activity
Survey responses did not indicate any significant differences by region, or by main activity of an employee’s organisation. Organisation size, however had a significant impact on perceptions of pay equality. These demonstrate employees in larger organisations being less likely to believe that men and women were paid equally. Similarly, there were disparities in correlation with educational background. Individuals with no higher than a high school degree had a significantly lower perception of pay equality than other individuals.
By gender break, 76% of male respondents indicated their perception of the existence of pay equality in the wind sector. This is in comparison with just 45% of female respondents. The perception gap was even greater for pay equality across the economy as a whole.
Among other findings:
- Women represent only 21% of the wind energy workforce (based on survey responses). This is in comparison with to 32% in renewables overall and 22% in traditional energy industries like oil and gas.
- Perceptions of gender roles and cultural-social norms form a major barrier to gender equality.
- Perceived wage inequalities are lower in wind energy (40%) than in the overall economy (68%).
- Perception of women is to possess valuable skills and knowledge.
- Europe and North America show the highest share of women in wind energy jobs, at 26%.
Improving Gender Balance: Practices
On basis of interviews with women and men in the sustainable energy sector, a structural and environmental analysis and a literature review emerges. GWNET identified the following as good practices for greater women participation in better conditions:
- Seeking greater gender equality by promoting girls with a demonstrable aptitude.
- Sustainable energy sector’s promotion as a workplace choice for women and men with families.
- Putting in place quotas for leadership roles to break unconscious biases and highlight women’s leadership.
- Removing biases in recruitment, performance reviews; equal pay and promotions.
- Universalising equitable parental and career leave, childcare for parents, return-to-work programs; flexible work; and mentoring.
- o Adopting a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
Transformative change is the responsibility of the most senior person in an organisation. And, it requires objectives’ and initiatives’ monitoring. It is a matter of priority to the organisation’s board or leaders. Commitments of time, resources and personnel are essential.
No one, corporation, institution, state, company has found a unique, perfect solution for gender inequality in the industry. Beyond change in a single organisation, for improving gender balance, coalitions of the like-minded can work. It may bring together governments, industry, labor representatives, women association, and international organisations.
Two experienced professionals in Türkiye’s wind energy sector are taking their long-standing relationship to the next level through a strategic collaboration. Alper Kalaycı, Co-Founder of EnconIQ Energy Consultancy Ltd., and Levent İshak, Co-Founder of Lewind Energy Consultancy Ltd., will collaborate to develop new projects and improve the performance of existing wind power plants.
Kalaycı and İshak, whose friendship dates back to their studies at Dokuz Eylül University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1991, are carrying nearly 35 years of shared experience into this new partnership. Both have been actively involved in the wind energy sector since 1998 and aim to further leverage their accumulated expertise through this collaboration.
By combining their complementary capabilities, the two will work together on both the development of new investments and the enhancement of operational efficiency in existing wind power plants.
Türkiye’s targets provide momentum for the sector
Commenting on the collaboration, Alper Kalaycı highlighted Türkiye’s energy transition:
“In line with our country’s 2035 targets, we need to increase our current wind installed capacity by approximately three times. This clearly demonstrates the strong growth potential of our sector. In the coming period, significant opportunities are expected both in new investments and in local manufacturing. With this collaboration, we aim to make more effective use of these opportunities.”
Operation and maintenance play a critical role
Levent İshak emphasized the importance of the operational phase:
“One of the most significant cost components in wind energy projects is operation and maintenance. Structuring these processes correctly from the outset, designing contracts accordingly, properly identifying risks, and managing them effectively are of great importance. Ensuring that this structure is implemented correctly during operation is critical for long-term performance. With this collaboration, we aim to create value both in structuring long-term contracts for new projects and in improving the performance of existing power plants.”
Complementary expertise, shared vision
The collaboration brings together Alper Kalaycı’s experience in manufacturing, localization, and project development with Levent İshak’s expertise in turbine supply, maintenance, service, and operations, aiming to create a strong synergy within the sector.
ENERCON will supply wind turbine technology for another major project in Türkiye. For the “Balıkesir 1” wind farm in the northwest of the country, operator Polat Enerji has ordered 23 wind turbines of ENERCON’s new flagship model, the E-175 EP5 E2. The supply contract was signed on 27 April in Istanbul. With a total capacity of 161 MW, the wind farm is part of the YEKA 5 tender, for which Polat Enerji recently received the award from the Turkish Ministry of Energy.
“We have enjoyed a long-standing and close cooperation with Polat Enerji in the expansion of wind energy in Türkiye,” said Udo Bauer, CEO of ENERCON. “With ‘Balıkesir 1’, we will have jointly realised more than 1 gigawatt of installed capacity in Türkiye. We intend to continue this partnership for the energy transition together in the future. We are very pleased to implement the ‘Balıkesir 1’ project together using our new E-175 EP5 E2 turbine model.”
“Our journey began a quarter-century ago with an early and firm belief in Türkiye’s renewable energy potential,” said Evren Güvenç, CEO of Polat Enerji. “Today, Polat Enerji has evolved into a strategic player managing high-scale investments across Türkiye and Europe. The Balıkesir 1 project, secured through the YEKA tenders, is a testament to our continuous growth; for us, leadership is defined by more than just increasing installed capacity. We measure our progress not only by power output but by our optimisation capabilities and system flexibility. By leveraging our end-to-end expertise – from investment to operation – we are reinforcing our position as a pioneering actor shaping the transformation of the entire energy landscape.”
The E-175 EP5 E2 is ENERCON’s new top model. With a rated power of 7.0 MW and a rotor diameter of 175 metres, it is one of the most powerful onshore wind turbines in Europe in terms of energy yield. The E-175 EP5 E2 is also a central pillar of the company’s market strategy and forms the basis of the solution portfolio with which ENERCON supports its customers.
The supply agreement for the “Balıkesir 1” wind farm marks another milestone in the market launch of the E-175 EP5 E2 in Türkiye. The country is an important international strategic target market for ENERCON. To supply Turkish wind farm projects with the new E-175 EP5 E2, ENERCON will continue its proven localisation strategy with long-standing Turkish production partners and will also manufacture selected main components of the new top model in the country in the future.
“This allows us to meet the local content requirements of the Turkish tender system,” said Arif Günyar, Regional Head of the Central Asia / Middle East / Africa (CAMEA) region. “We are fully committed to the Turkish market and to the energy transition in Türkiye. We look forward to opening a new chapter of cooperation with Polat Enerji as well as with other Turkish customers and interested parties.”
Construction of the “Balıkesir 1” wind farm is scheduled to begin in September 2027, with commissioning expected by the end of December 2027. A total of 23 wind turbines will be installed on steel towers.
Gülle Entegre Tekstil İşletmeleri, one of Türkiye’s leading integrated yarn and fabric manufacturers with 55 years of experience, has signed a wind turbine supply and service agreement with Goldwind for the Gülle Wind Power Plant (WPP) Project. The project aims to meet the energy consumption of its production facilities located in Ergene, Tekirdağ.
According to the agreement, the project, located in the Ergene district of Tekirdağ, will utilize Goldwind’s GW155-4.8MW turbine model, featuring a hub height of 110 meters, a capacity of 4.8 MW, and a rotor diameter of 155 meters. The agreement also includes a 10-year full-service package covering maintenance and availability services.
The Gülle WPP Project is planned to be commissioned in December 2026. Upon completion, the plant is expected to reach an annual electricity generation capacity of approximately 16 million kWh.
Mature Capital has provided two-phase advisory services to Gülle Entegre Tekstil from the initial concept stage of the investment. In the first phase, project development, advisory services included the preparation of economic and technical feasibility studies in line with current investment conditions, as well as strategic and procedural guidance on regulatory and permitting processes (such as EPDK, EIA, zoning, and grid connection procedures).
In the second phase, once the project reached a certain level of maturity in terms of permits, Mature Capital provided advisory services for wind turbine selection, final supplier decision-making, and the negotiation of turbine supply and service agreements.
Habib Babacan, General Manager of Mature Capital
Commenting on the agreement, Habib Babacan, General Manager of Mature Capital, stated:
“We are very pleased to see the outcome of our efforts and work materialize with this important agreement, which marks the realization of our approximately three-year collaboration with our investor, Gülle Entegre Tekstil.
We would like to thank the Goldwind Türkiye team for their cooperation and support during the contract phase, and our investor Gülle Entegre Tekstil for their trust in Mature Capital. We wish the Gülle WPP Project to be beneficial for both parties.”
About Mature Capital
Since 2022, Mature Capital has been exclusively focused on the wind energy sector, providing advisory services to investors in the areas of business development, project development, strategy formulation, and project transfer (M&A) for wind power projects.
In its fourth year of operation, the company has continued to expand its activities and has successfully completed 18 advisory projects with 15 different investor groups since its establishment.
Mature Capital will continue to provide high-quality and reliable services to wind energy investors in Türkiye.
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