From Workforce Gaps to New Opportunities: Ukraine’s Solar Step Experience Presented at Climate Week NYC 2026

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Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation co-hosted Powering Progress: Women Building the Solar Workforce during Climate Week NYC 2026. The discussion focused on women’s role in renewable energy, workforce development and Ukraine’s experience through the Solar Step program.

The event brought together representatives of the international renewable energy sector to discuss how to create more career opportunities for women and increase their participation in the energy transition.

Ukraine’s experience was presented by Yuliana Onyshchuk, Founder and CEO of Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation. At the heart of her contribution was Solar Step, the Foundation’s education and career program that helps women gain the knowledge and practical skills needed to build professional paths in renewable energy.

For Ukraine, this issue has a very practical significance. The country is preparing for another difficult winter of full-scale war, while the expansion of decentralized energy generation requires not only technologies but also people with the skills to develop, implement and manage energy projects.

According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, the country will need around 4.5 million additional workers by 2030. At the same time, women remain underrepresented in the renewable energy sector. Solar Step addresses both challenges by creating new economic opportunities for women while helping build the workforce needed for Ukraine’s green and resilient recovery.

The first Solar Step program was completed by 51 women. Within the first two months after graduation, 8 participants found employment, while another 5 received job offers during the program.

Another important part of the event was Shadow of the Night, an exhibition presented in New York by Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation. The exhibition explores blackouts and the energy crisis caused by Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, bringing a human dimension to energy resilience through the experiences of communities and people who continue to live and work through prolonged power outages.

Energy Act for Ukraine Foundation is deeply grateful to our co-hosts – Solar Sister, Global Solar Council, WRISE and Southern Environmental Law Center – for their partnership and for creating this space for dialogue together, and to Abby Hopper for moderating the discussion.

Our participation in Climate Week NYC was an opportunity to bring to the international stage not only the challenges Ukraine’s energy sector is facing, but also the solutions Ukraine is already building in response – by investing in human capital, creating new professional opportunities for women and preparing the workforce for a more resilient energy future.