Shaping the Solar Landscape: Female Visionaries on Project Funding for PV

Dr Rethabile Melamu is a sustainability professional who is trained in Chemical and Environmental Engineering. She has almost two-decade experience in the areas of clean energy, green economy, water and sanitation, environmental sustainability, enterprise development, and life cycle assessments. She also has a depth of understanding in the adoption of innovative climate smart technologies in in developing country context. This is backed by experience of running a technology innovation-based incubation programme for almost 6 years. Moreover, she is experienced in developing public sector policies and have led the development of sub-national energy and green economy strategies and facilitated their implementation. She sits on several boards and advisory committees of private, academia and the public sectors organisations including as the Chairperson of the Water Research Commission and a Trustee of the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation. She is a thought leader in her areas of expertise, having published reports, thought leadership pieces and academic articles on several platforms. In 2019, she was recognised by the national Mail & Guardian newspaper as one of Women Who Are Changing South Africa in the Public Sector.

Katarzyna Rezza Vega is a global communication and gender equality expert who has been working in the field of international cooperation for many years. Since 2021, she is the Head of "Women Energize Women" (WEW) initiative at GIZ GmbH. WEW is a global campaign of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and part of the "Bilateral Climate & Energy Partnerships" global project. This initiative aims to unlock the potential of women in the renewable energy sector, mobilize, connect and highlight female talents. Prior to joining Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, a worldwide service provider in sustainable development, she worked extensively in strategic communications and specialized public relations, advising international companies, start-ups, and consultancies. She is a graduate of Freie University Berlin and holds two Master's degrees in Communication Science and English Studies.

Rosa is since more than 20 years working in the renewable energy (RE) field in Germany, having been involved in several steps of the RE value chain. Before her start at EB-SIM, she was at Allianz Global Investors structuring equity funds. Before, she was 6 years developing RE projects at two international well-known German project developers. Previous to that, she provided non-recourse project finance to renewables at KfW IPEX-Bank and CommerzBank. She started her carrier at the engineering consulting company, Lahmeyer International (now Tractabel) and at a subsidiary of E.ON Energy.

Dr Konstanze Kinne is Head of Treasury, Aquila Clean Energy EMEA. Since 3 years she is responsible for all Corporate and Structured Finance related activities including liquidity and guarantee management. She has a 20 years background in the banking industry particularly in financing renewable energy projects. Dr Kinne has held several head positions at Commerzbank, such as Head of Risk Management and Head of Structuring. She started her career in Corporate Finance at NORD/LB. She holds a PhD in Economics of University of Hamburg. In her role at Aquila Clean Energy EMEA Dr Kinne ensures an optimal capital structure to support the company's growth and financial stability. She also maintains relationships with banks, financial institutions, and investors.

Alyssa is passionate about the environment and finding innovative solutions to build a better future for the next generation. So after receiving her Master's degree in Political Communication and Strategy from the Brussels School of International Studies, it was a natural step to launch her career by supporting the uptake of clean energy globally. Alyssa quickly caught the renewable energy bug, and has dedicated her career to helping accelerate the clean energy transition ever since. She has worked for trade associations across a wide spectrum of clean energy solutions, including solar PV, electrification, energy efficiency, and clean transport, and wind power. Alyssa supported the expansion of wind power into emerging markets as Chief of Staff and Communications Director of the Global Wind Energy Council and leading the communication and outreach for offshore wind at the World Bank Group, and in her free time she is a freelance journalist on climate and sustainability issues, yoga teacher and jewellry designer. After starting her career in solar, she is thrilled to be back in the sector to make sure countries across the world can unleash the immense potential of solar power!

Tsvetelina Kuzmanova is a Senior Policy Advisor specialising in Sustainable Finance at E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism), a leading climate change think tank dedicated to advancing the global transition to a climate-resilient world. At E3G's Brussels office, Tsvetelina focuses on shaping legislative reforms at both the EU level and across member states. With a focus on fostering policy changes and driving increased investments for a climate-neutral economy, she collaborates closely with EU institutions and engages with stakeholders in the private sector. Her work supports redirecting capital flows towards assets that promote sustainable development and resilience. Before joining E3G, Tsvetelina worked on EU legislation for sustainable finance and financial innovation at the Bulgarian non-banking financial regulator. Additionally, she has demonstrated a commitment to international development through her involvement in projects across Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular emphasis on renewable energy and infrastructure finance. Tsvetelina holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the prestigious University of Cambridge, complemented by a BA in Political Science and Diplomacy from Yonsei University in South Korea.