Join us in Florence for 3 days of in-person events where we will convene our donors and renowned experts from across the sector. 

A detailed agenda with discussion topics and speakers will follow. In the meantime, here is a list of events that will take place during 8-10 June 2026: 

Monday, 8 June 2026

📌 Policy Advisory Council – Part 1 

The Policy Advisory Council discusses the most topical regulatory and policy issues and debates and the relevance and robustness of the latest FSR research findings. The meeting gathers experts from the European Commission, the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), the FSR Energy Star and Major Donors and invited renowned academics. 

Please note that this event is by invitation only.

Tuesday, 9 June 2026

📌 Policy Advisory Council – Part 2 

On the second day, participants continue the dialogue, focusing on key regulatory developments and recent research findings.

Please note that this event is by invitation only.

📌 9th meeting of the Equality Platform for the Energy Sector

The Platform is a European Commission-led initiative that currently includes more than 40 members from the energy sector, including the Florence School of Regulation.

Established in October 2021, the Platform provides a dedicated space to discuss equality-related issues, exchange experiences, and promote best practices in diversity and inclusion within the energy sector workplace.

The meeting is exclusive to Platform members. For further information and details on becoming a member, please visit the Platform’s webpage.

📌 LUCE Awards 2026 

The LUCE Awards, organised by the Lights on Women initiative with the support from Edison, celebrates the outstanding contributions of women advancing the Green Transition.

Now in its fourth edition, the LUCE Awards will honour the achievements of two women professionals, with a prize awarded in each of the following categories:

• Emerging Talent: recognising the contributions of up-and-coming female leaders.

• Legacy Women: honouring senior female professionals who have made a lasting impact on the Green Transition.

Watch the highlights from the first, second and third editions.

Learn more and register!

Wednesday, 10 June

📌 Regulatory Policy Workshop  

A full-day policy workshop directed by Alberto Pototschnig, FSR Executive Deputy Director. The workshop will consist of a series of seminars led by topic experts with opportunities for intervention from participants. 

Please note that this event is by invitation only.

Gender equality and women’s leadership are essential to building a more inclusive and resilient energy transition. Since its launch in 2017, the Lights on Women initiative has worked to make this vision a reality by supporting women professionals in the energy, climate, and sustainability sectors through training, visibility, and professional development opportunities. 

The upcoming Info Session will present the initiative’s journey so far, its milestones, community growth, and impact, while also outlining upcoming activities and opportunities for engagement. 

During the session, participants will learn more about Lights on Women’s flagship initiatives, including: 

• Energybase, a free talent matchmaking platform that connects women professionals with organisations and job opportunities worldwide. 

• LUCE Awards, celebrating both emerging and established women leaders who are shaping the future of the energy, climate, and sustainability fields. 

• Scholarships, supporting professional development and training for women across diverse areas of energy and regulation. 

• New blog series, “Powering Gender Equality”, examining the intersections of gender and energy and featuring insights from diverse experts in the Lights on Women network. 

This Info Session will be an opportunity to discover these initiatives, connect with others committed to gender equality, and explore ways to collaborate in building a more inclusive and forward-looking energy transition. 

Participation is free and open to all.
For details and registration, please contact Roberta Ruggero at roberta.ruggero@eui.eu

Building on the momentum of the previous editions, the 3rd edition of the LUCE Awards marks another milestone in advancing the Green Transition. In a world increasingly focused on achieving ambitious energy, climate, and sustainability goals, this edition reaffirms the critical role women play in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future.

With a continued commitment to promoting gender equality in the sectors of energy, climate, and sustainability—and proudly supported by Edison and Eurogas—the 3rd edition of the LUCE Awards celebrates the outstanding contributions of women driving innovation and progress in these fields. As we forge ahead on the path toward a greener tomorrow, this edition aspires to further elevate the voices and achievements of women who are pioneering solutions for a sustainable planet.

On 15 May 2025 in Florence, the LUCE Awards will celebrate the accomplishments of two women professionals, presenting a prize in each of the following categories:

Emerging Talent (applications are closed for the 2025 edition)

Legacy Women (public vote is closed for the 2025 edition)

The event will feature a keynote speech by Tom Howes, an expert panel titled “Just” energy transition, does gender matter?, and the awarding ceremony.

The LUCE Awards will be preceded by the 7th meeting of the Equality Platform for the Energy Sector, taking place in the morning of 15 May. Led by the European Commission, the meeting will bring together all actors involved in the Equality Platform activities – Directorate-General for Energy representatives, Platform members, signatories and project partners.

Participation in the meeting is limited to Platform members. For more information or details on joining, please visit the Platform’s webpage.

The LUCE Awards, now in its second edition, is set to take place in Florence on 16 May 2024. Organised by the Lights on Women initiative in collaboration with Landwärme and Edison, this event aims to recognise and celebrate the significant contributions of women in driving the Green Transition.

The event, created to champion women’s pivotal roles in the Green Transition, was held for the first time in 2023 and celebrated the achievements of two outstanding female professionals. The Legacy Women award was given to Clara Poletti, ARERA Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Regulators of ACER. Onyinye Anene-Nzelu, Head of Mini-Grids at Engie Energy Access in Nigeria, won in the Emerging Talent category.

This is a hybrid event. Register here to join the event on Zoom

Watch the highlights of the first edition of the LUCE awards

The LUCE Awards will be preceded by the 5th meeting of the Equality Platform for the Energy Sector. The Platform is a European Commission-led initiative that currently includes 28 members from the energy sector, including the Florence School of Regulation.

Established in October 2021, the platform serves as a dedicated forum for addressing equality-related matters, fostering the exchange of experiences, and championing best practices concerning diversity and inclusion in the energy sector workplace.

The meeting is open for the Platform members only. For further information and details on becoming a member, please visit the Platform’s webpage.

The Lights on Women initiative at the Florence School of Regulation, in collaboration with partner Landwärme, is proud to launch the LUCE Awards, which will be held in Florence on May 16, 2023.

The awards

As key policies such as the Green Deal are set out worldwide to facilitate the transition towards carbon neutrality, they also might serve as a catalyst to move towards gender equality, empowerment and justice.

In this context, the LUCE Awards are meant to further the just transition’s gender mainstreaming objectives while highlighting the contributions and achievements of women of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds working in energy, climate and sustainability.

Awarding ceremony and prizes

The LUCE Awards will give two prizes under the categories:

• Emerging Talent: this category will recognize up-and-coming female academics, entrepreneurs, founders (also of non-registered projects), and young leaders of civil society who are working to advance the Green Transitions agenda worldwide.
• Legacy Women: this category will honour the achievements of senior female professionals who have successfully used their platforms and voices to push forward the energy, climate, and sustainability sectors. More info can be found here.

The awarding ceremony will be held in Florence on 16 May 2023. The two winners will receive one free seat in an FSR course and will be invited to attend the awarding ceremony.

More information about the LUCE Awards can be found on the Lights on Women platform.

The LUCE Awards are organised by the Florence School of Regulation and partner Landwärme under the Lights on Women initiative.

Women are increasingly acting as the catalysers of change in many aspects of the energy transition. Specifically, they take on essential roles as policy-makers, professionals, and energy consumers. Yet they are still far from having equal access to job opportunities and leadership roles, equal representation in positions of authority, and even decision-making powers regarding household energy consumption.  

The ongoing global energy transition opens up new, more sustainable career pathways able to reshape all energy production and distribution aspects. For women, in particular, this policy shift offers an unprecedented chance to claim their role in the energy sector, while harnessing the advancement opportunities offered by clean energy technologies.  

In this hybrid event, we will look at the challenges women face in the energy and climate sectors as consumers, professionals and policymakers and solutions to their grievances that can be delivered in the energy transition framework.  

This event will happen in the context of FSR’s annual Policy Advisory Council event – and will comprise a panel about gender equality in the energy sector and the official opening of registrations for the newly-released Lights on Women database, the Energybase. In-person attendance is on-invitation only.

Watch the recording:

Programme

Introductory remarks:

• European Commission DG Energy (video)
• Erik Jones, Director (RSC/EUI)

Panel: 

Moderator: Ilaria Conti, Head of Gas (FSR)

Setting the scene: Ashley Acker, Gender in Energy Data Analyst (IEA) will present the report: A critical issue in energy sector employment and energy access

• Blandine Mollard, Researcher (EIGE)
• Colette D. Honorable, Former Commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Partner (Reed Smith)

Presentation of the Energybase: 

• Good practices from the industry with partners of the Lights on Women intiative (Landwärme GmbH, Edison)
• The official launch of the Lights on Women’s platform and the Energybase: Claudia Carella, Lights on Women coordinator (FSR), and Jessica Dabrowski, Lights on Women co-founder, Deptuty Director of Communications (Atlantic Council, Arsht-Rock Resilience Center)

Conclusions and final remarks:

Leonardo Meeus, Director (FSR)

This Debate will aim at reviewing the current situation with gender participation in the energy sector and at identifying which policies and measures should be pursued to ensure equal opportunities in this sector. It will also address the extent to which affirmative actions could be used to address the current gender imbalance, and how these actions could be compatible with a merit-based approach to entry into the sector.

Background

The energy transition, with the penetration of new processes and technologies, will provide a unique opportunity also to address the current gender imbalance in the energy sector. While gender is increasingly a multi-dimensional notion, the main focus in the energy sector is currently on the male-female composition of the workforce.

Because of the multi-disciplinary dimension, renewable energies and other developments associated with the energy transition (e.g. decentralised energy systems) seem to exert an appeal on women, and provide greater opportunities to them, than the more traditional fossil fuel industry. According to the results of a recent survey carried out by IRENA1, women represent 32% of the full-time employees in the renewable energy sector – substantially higher than the 22% average in the global oil and gas industry. Still, in renewables, women’s participation is much lower in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs than in administration.

Despite the appeal of the new technologies at the basis of the energy transition, women still face persistent barriers to entry, to remain in the workforce, and to advance. Removing these barriers is essential to meet the growing demand for skills in an expanding industry.

Draft Programme

Introduction to the Debate and Opening Presentations

14.00 – 14.05   Introduction to the Debate

Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

14.05 – 14.15   Opening address

Paula Abreu Marques | Head of Unit, Interinstitutional and Member States, European Commission

14.15 – 14.25   The energy transition: a gender perspective

Rabia Ferroukhi| Director, Knowledge, Policy and Finance Centre, IRENA

Panel Discussion: Introductory Remarks, Polls and Comments

Moderators:

Ilaria Conti | Florence School of Regulation

Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

14.25 – 14.50   Introductory remarks from the panellists
Silvia Manessi |Head of HR, ACER
Jennie Stephens | Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affair, Northeastern University

14.50 – 14.55   Polls

14.55 – 15.15   Comments on the polls outcome and Q&A from the audience
Panellists

15.20 – 15.30   The FSR Energybase project and Concluding remarks
Elena Iorio | Florence School of Regulation
Alberto Pototschnig | Florence School of Regulation

#FSRDebates

Hosts: Leigh Hancher and Alberto Pototschnig (FSR)

The focus of this series is on recent court cases, regulatory decisions, EU legislation, or public consultations to be discussed by a panel of experts.

This event will be live-streamed and recorded. Highlights and presentations will be made available online.

In this online talk, we will look at the energy transition from an alternative perspective, with the authors of the book: Engendering the Energy Transition.

Panel

Joy Clancy is Professor of Energy and Gender in the Department of Governance and Technology for Sustainability at the University of Twente,

Nthabiseng Mohlakoana holds a Doctorate in Innovation and Governance for Sustainable Development from the University of Twente, The Netherlands.

Mariëlle Feenstra is a PhD researcher on gender approaches in energy policy design at the University of Twente, The Netherlands

#FSRTalks

Live interviews with experts from the wider network of the school to showcase and discuss a recent work (a book just published, interesting study, innovative project) in a light and interactive way.

Hosts: Prof. Jean-Michel Glachant, Ilaria Conti, Swetha Baghwat