4 Badass Women Shaping the Future of Energy

Kiana Kazemi

March 25, 2025

Energy is changing fast. In 10 years (from 2010 to 2020), renewable energy’s share of US electricity generation doubled from 10% to 20%, and from 2000 - 2023, the global renewable energy capacity grew by 415%.

The future is being built by those bold enough to challenge the status quo. This Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating four women who are leading the charge—innovators, disruptors, and visionaries who are reshaping how we power our world.

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1. Emily Kirsch – Founder of Powerhouse

Back when cleantech was just emerging in the Bay Area, Emily Kirsch was looking for a clean energy hub. When she couldn’t find one, she built it herself.

Emily launched Powerhouse Ventures in 2018 to back seed-stage startups reshaping the energy industry and helping them scale. Today, the $7M fund has made 12 investments, growing profits by 20% annually. Powerhouse has also hosted 60+ events connecting energy startups with investors and industry leaders, creating the perfect storm for the next wave of energy innovation

"When you believe so deeply in something, you just try every possible thing until something works. Maybe it doesn't work and then you're done, but until you try every possible avenue you're not done. We just kept trying and it worked."

Emily isn’t just supporting clean energy startups—she’s building the ecosystem they need to thrive.

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2. Tanya Barham – Founder of Community Energy Labs

Tanya has been working in community energy for decades. In the early 2000s, she started a first-of-its-kind program to bring solar energy to local Portland-based schools.

Now with Community Energy Labs, she’s revolutionizing energy management for schools and community buildings with AI-powered technology. This is particularly important: in the United States, K-12 schools spend more on energy ($8B) than on computers and textbooks combined.

Community Energy Labs is developing powerful and accessible technologies, like a grid-interactive control system, to make clean, all-electric, community buildings a reality.

“[My mom always asked me], what do you want to be when you grow up? And I was really fairly consistent. I was always like, scientists, artists… I want it to be both. And so I do feel like being an entrepreneur in STEM is a little bit of an art and a science.”

Decarbonizing large buildings used to be complicated—she’s making it simple, affordable, and totally doable.

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3. Zora Chung– Co-Founder of ReJoule

Zora Chung's journey to revolutionizing the electric vehicle (EV) battery industry began in an unexpected place: the corporate finance world of Walmart eCommerce. For over a decade, she honed her skills in evaluating business models and optimizing companies for scalable growth.

In 2017, Zora took a leap into entrepreneurship, co-founding ReJoule with her brother Steven. Their mission was to create a circular economy for EV batteries to maximize the value of every battery. Rejoule has created 4+ megawatt hours of used electric vehicle batteries for passenger vehicles, forklifts, trucks, and buses.

Rejoule also developed an accessible diagnostics platform to provide a clear picture of EV battery health in under 10 minutes. Compared to the current industry standard of hours of waiting, specialized expertise, and expensive equipment that can still produce estimations that are off by 10-15%.

“I would say find a problem that you’re really passionate about solving. You need all types of people to run a business. The passion for whatever the work is, what solution you’re bringing to market, is what unites everyone.”

Zora is giving EV batteries a second life. As CFO of ReJoule, she’s pioneering battery diagnostics and optimization to extend battery performance, reduce waste, and make clean energy storage more efficient.

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4. Last but certainly not least, we have our very own co-founder, Jane Melia – Co-Founder of Harvest

We couldn’t start off this list without recognizing our very own CEO, Dr. Jane Melia. Jane has a PhD in fluid Dynamics from the University of Cambridge and decided to build Harvest because she saw a massive, untapped opportunity to revolutionize home energy efficiency.

"With an expected life of around 20 years, every heating and hot water system installed today will have a long impact on the planet. When my partner and I replaced our old gas furnace, we wanted a system that reduced emissions a lot while being super affordable and comfortable. Finding nothing like that, we designed our own, and cut emissions by over 90% and utility bills by about 40%.”

If Jane gets her wish - and we hope she does - she’ll have been a massive part of decarbonizing the 10% of global emissions caused by home heating and hot water.

The future of energy isn’t just about new technology—it’s about the people driving it forward. These women aren’t waiting for change - they’re making it, in real time.

Here’s to the women leading the energy revolution!