Kunzes Dolma, GRÓ GTP Alumna: A pioneer in advancing geothermal energy and gender equality
Kunzes Dolma GRÓ GTP alumna and PhD scholar is the first woman to be trained in the geothermal profession in India. She has also, since her return, been promoting the use of geothermal in her region of Ladakh, but also having a real impact in improving gender equality, focusing on the participation of women in decision making in Ladakh and opening people’s eyes to domestic violence against women and the need of shelters for women living in such conditions. She is India’s Ambassador for Women in Geothermal (WING), an international organization aimed at promoting the professional development, and advancement of women in the geothermal community.
Kunzes attended the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme in Iceland in 2017, where she specialized in geothermal utilization. Her participation inspired her to promote geothermal energy back home, including educating school students through field trips, online talks, installing greenhouses to showcase the benefits of geothermal to the local population and starting the use geothermal for space heating which led to a decision to develop geothermal further in Ladakh. Kunzes went on to receive a scholarship from GRÓ GTP for both her MSc and PhD, which she is currently doing.
Demonstrating benefits of geothermal to local populations
Kunzes discovered the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme (GRÓ GTP) through her boss, Mr Jigmet Takpa (IFS) at the Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency, who received a letter from India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy that were asking for nominations to the programme. “At that time not much was done in India to utilize the low temp fields that we have and so I took the opportunity to learn,” Kunzes explains.
After she returned to Ladakh, she started, as part of her research, to demonstrate the benefits of geothermal. She installed a greenhouse in Chumathang and tried growing vegetables inside the greenhouse in the winter time, when the ambient temperature was below 20 degrees Celcius. The Ladakh region is very isolated in winter time, so being able to grow fresh vegetables there all year round would not only provide the region with homegrown food and provide work, but also increase access to fresh produce and important nutrients. „The village women were involved so they know the value of geothermal heat. I started running around to get funds for geothermal space heating for Puga residential school. So in that process the result was the decision by ONGC (India Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) to develop the Puga field,“ Kunzes says. Drilling is currently taking place in the Puga valley where the target is to generate 1 MW of power.
Promoting geothermal for the community
Kunzes was working as a geothermal consultant under the leadership of the visionary chief engineer Sonam Dawa, who has now passed away. “He was the one who pushed me to do my Masters in Geothermal, when I was at the verge of giving up, saying that no other Ladakhi will ever get a chance like this,” says Kunzes. Looking back, she sees her time at the GRÓ GTP as a major turning point in her life: “It trained me very well in terms of utilizing geothermal and made me the first woman from India to be trained in the geothermal profession, and among the very few Indians to be trained. The social impact it had on me is beyond words. I saw the impact that geothermal development had made to Iceland which otherwise used to be a poor country a few decades back. And so, I was motivated to do the same back in my country, the fact that most of the geothermal sites in India are in remote areas, made me think more of promoting this energy for not only infrastructure development, but also for the community. Geothermal is my passion now.” She has been advocating for geothermal utilization at various national and international platforms and has been invited as speaker at various events, such as the World Geothermal congress 2023 in Beijing, educational institutions across India and more.
Kunzes says she has all her professional life been working in a male dominated field. When she did her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering she was one of only two women in a class of 75 students. Reflecting on her career she notes: “The proudest moment happened when I was called by Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy, Mussoorie, to give a talk on geothermal energy to midlife career professionals from all over India. This was a dream as I got to talk about geothermal energy, GRÓ GTP and about the gender gap in energy, in front of the top bosses of government energy companies, policy makers, energy distribution companies etc.”
GRÓ GTP gave me the courage to speak up
“Most of all the experience through GRÓ GTP in Iceland gave me courage to speak up for myself. After returning home, I had the confidence to get a divorce, and I became the first person in my region to press charges for domestic violence.“ She says her case is now sometimes used as a reference in other court cases.
„In Iceland, I learned about gender equality, and women’s shelters, and this experience made me realise there is an urgent need for such initiatives in my region. Many women are forced to live in the house where they are assaulted, due to the absence of a women shelter where they would otherwise live safely and fight for justice. This let me look for options to build such a shelter for women. I raised attention of the authorities and managed, as part of LBA (Ladakh Buddhist Association) Women Wing to get the plans started for the first women’s shelter in Ladakh, as well as options for women who are dealing with unwanted pregnancies. The need for a cradle centre [where children can be left in safety when their mothers are unable to care for them] arose due to the concern that many abortions were happening due to unmarried pregnancies. At the same time there is an increase in the number of parents who are not able to concieve. So these cradle centres can solve both problems. The plans are still in the preliminary phase but I hope funding can be secured for this important initiative. I am so proud that I can use my experience to make a difference to many women who feel like they are alone and there is no way out,” says Kunzes.
Making history in securing women’s representation in Ladekh
Her experiences in Iceland had a profound effect on her views on gender equality. “The gender equality that I experienced in Iceland made me see through the myth of gender equality in Ladakh, where women are made to believe that women have more equality than those in the rest of India. After GRÓ GTP I started comparing gender equality in Ladakh to Iceland and that’s when I started seeing that women are not present in the decision-making processes. Hence, I started pointing this fact out in every gathering, event and meeting. Now I can see the results, I see more men speaking about having to give more opportunities to women, men tell me: ‘We are doing this thing or event especially to promote women’ etc. Seeing a lack of women in the political scenario of Ladakh, as well as within NGOs, we started sending representations at state level, as well as on the national level. Finally on December 3rd the Ministry of Home Affairs announced, in a meeting of the High Power Committee (of which I am the only female member), a 33% reservation for women in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council of Leh and Kargil. This will come into implementation soon and this is history for Ladakh.”
Memories as fresh as yesterday
For current fellows of the GRÓ GTP she offers advice. “Try to learn not only geothermal but also the work culture because that is how Iceland developed,” she says, explaining that the programme does not only provide knowledge about geothermal, but also on other aspects of sustainable development, gender equality and inclusion. Kunzes has good memories of Iceland and is still in touch with fellows from her group, “Memories in Iceland will always be vivid for me. Be it the training, the friendly nature of the staff, the beautiful geography, and of course the fellows. These memories are as fresh as yesterday. For me personally I will never forget how easily approachable the higher ups are in Iceland not only in GRÓ GTP but in the Ministries and the NGOs."