Gerd Kjølle wants more women in the power industry

Gerd Kjølle, chief scientist at SINTEF and director of the Norwegian Centre for Environment-friendly Energy (FME) CINELDI, is a power pioneer, specialising in security of supply. She has been honoured to write one of the chapters in the new book, Women in Power – Research and Development Advances in Electric Power Systems.

The book is part of the series Women in Engineering and Science, written by female experts and industry pioneers. This issue:

• covers the core issues in the power industry, and highlights female leaders,
• explains the immense challenges faced by modern power system planners, power engineers and operators, and
• places environmental and workforce issues at the forefront of the discussion.

An exciting industry for women

The power industry plays a crucial role in achieving our climate goals and bringing about the green shift. Now more than ever, a lot of exciting activities and developments are happening in this field, and Kjølle is keen for more women to be a part of it.

“First and foremost, I am a scientist and a professional, but I also think it is important to be a good female role model. It is important that women are made visible, and before my time, there weren’t many visible women in the industry. Therefore, I think it’s good if I can help and inspire others,” said Kjølle.

“This amazing book, a very interesting and illuminating read, highlights the contributions of pioneering women to the research and development advances in electric power systems,» wrote Vijay Venu Vadlamudi, associate professor in the department of electric energy at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) on his LinkedIn account.

He continued by describing the book as a “must read” for academics, engineers and researchers working in the industry.

The electricity grid is a crucial enabler of the energy transition

Kjølle has written the chapter on security of supply in the future smart and integrated power system. This is a topic that Kjølle has extensive experience with. In 2019, Kjølle was awarded the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences’ honorary prize for her contribution to security and supply and reliability in the electrical grid. The Academy praised Kjølle for advancing the international research front in the field of security of supply, and created significant value for Norwegian business and society in general.

In her chapter, Kjølle points out that the future power system must be renewable, flexible, intelligent, secure and resilient. This transformation should be carried out at a reasonable cost, without jeopardising the security of electrical supply.

“Society depends on a secure electricity supply which is increasingly important as various sectors are being electrified to substitute fossil fuels. The sustainability targets for the future cannot be met unless the necessary transformation of the power system is addressed. The electricity grid is a crucial enabler of the energy transition.”