In 2023, women accounted for 38% of the workforce in the renewable energy industry, but only 13% held senior roles.

We’re proud to say that Smart Ease bucks this trend, with women making up around 80% of our global team, as well as leading both our Sales and Operations functions. Meanwhile, the driving force behind Smart Ease’s commercial and marketing strategy is Chief Commercial Officer, Stefanie Di Trocchio.

In honour of International Women’s Day, we sat down with Stef to discuss her stewardship of Smart Ease, insights on Australia’s renewable industry and experience as a woman in the corporate world. 

1. What does a Chief Commercial Officer do exactly?

My primary focus is to shape commercial strategy and drive revenue growth. I also look after partnerships and integrations, oversee marketing and communications, and currently, I’m driving the rollout of a large tech project. There’s even a bit of HR thrown in. It’s a mixed bag!

2. In the past, you’ve described your career as a ‘rolling stone’. What has kept you at Smart Ease for over three years?

There are a few reasons, but the most important one to me is that the work aligns with my values. I feel like I’m working towards a valuable goal, which is to decarbonise our economy.

I also get bored quickly if I’m not being challenged and, thankfully, I don’t see that happening here. I learn a lot every day with evolving technologies, shifting priorities, and a constantly changing regulatory landscape. The industry and my role are always evolving, which means there’s always an opportunity for growth.

3. How has the renewables industry evolved since you’ve joined it? Any standout changes in the last three years?

There have been many. The regulatory, technological and energy landscape of today is constantly evolving – it looks far different today than it did when I first started.  

But what I have found most interesting is that while the industry moves at such a fast pace and there is now widespread acceptance and adoption of renewable technologies, government support has been frustratingly slow. Since I started in the industry I’ve been craving a strong policy framework, because, so far, government support simply isn’t keeping up with what’s happening in the real world.

We’ve moved past the question of whether renewable technologies are worth it – there is a multi-billion-dollar industry and 4 million rooftop solar installations that answer that question quite definitively. But old arguments always seem to resurface, and the issue is so politicised that progress is constrained. It’s a shame because I genuinely believe that Australia could – and should! – be a renewable energy superpower.

I would love to see a bipartisan, long-term strategy that ensures energy security for Australia. So far, that has been sadly lacking.

4. How do you think we can overcome that and move past the politicisation of renewables?

What we do daily at Smart Ease is key to solving this problem.

We make renewable technologies accessible to all businesses and organisations. With every customer that invests in energy-efficiency equipment through us, they’re able to see the clear financial and ESG advantages of renewables. With that, we’re slowly building an army of advocates who understand and can vouch for renewables based on their own lived experiences.

5. The renewables sector is known to be male dominated. Have you found this to be challenging?

It is male dominated, but I’ve met many female leaders in the energy space, perhaps because I seek them out.

I can’t personally say I’ve found navigating this industry too challenging. For the most part, I’ve found the industry to be quite egalitarian.

It probably helps that I’m assertive and confident in my knowledge and skills. I take the time to learn what I don’t know, so I think I’ve gotten quite far by just being curious and hard-working.

In fact, the only time I would have to say I come up against any kind of gendered challenge is when men who aren’t in my industry assume that they know more than me about it. That’s incredibly frustrating, and is possibly a result of renewables being so politicised and the huge amount of misinformation that persists.

6. What do you think are the biggest challenges women face in the corporate world?

There’s a few!

• The relentlessness of being dismissed and being spoken over.
• Always being assumed to be the least experienced or less knowledgeable person in the room.
• The frustration and fatigue that sets in when you’re in a workplace that condones a misogynistic culture. Always calling this out is exhausting and not calling it out is damaging. It’s a lose-lose situation and leads to low morale and burnout.  

7. What advice would you give to a young woman at the start of her career?

Be confident in what you know and forget about imposter syndrome. Second-guessing yourself is a colossal waste of time – every minute you waste questioning yourself is one less minute towards progress.

And if you don’t know something, embrace it as a learning opportunity.

8. Do you have a female role-model that inspires you?

I have many!

The best thing about inspirational women is that they kind of form an invisible net for you – not a protective net, more like a buoyant one or a platform.

I like to imagine that every knot in the net represents a strong, smart and energetic woman, and I feel like I’m buoyed by every single one of them.

Against a challenging economic backdrop, many Australian businesses chose to invest in energy resilience in 2024 with a record-breaking 1GW of solar power installed on commercial buildings.

According to solar market analyst SunWiz, this marks the first time the 1GW threshold has been surpassed for commercial solar installed in a single year, bringing the total commercial solar capacity installed since 2011 to 7GW.

This comes as residential solar market contracted by 1.6% in 2024, only the second contraction since 2015. This contraction was more than offset by the growth in commercial systems in the 15–100kW range, which grew by 16% to record levels.

2024 was a tough year for Australian businesses. According to CreditorWatch’s November 2024 figures (1):

• Insolvencies rose a staggering 57% year on year.
• The average business failure and closure rate across all sectors reached 5.1%, the highest level since August 2020.

In even more sobering news, CreditorWatch predicts continued – and potentially increased – insolvencies in the first half of 2025.

But despite the tough economic environment, latest data from SunWiz indicates that businesses are still prioritising investment in their energy-efficiency. In fact, December 2024 was the best month on record for STC-Commercial (15 kW to 100 kW) segments with particularly strong growth in the 75 kW to 100 kW range (2).

Business owners are starting to recognise that investing in energy efficiency can be an effective way to mitigate rising operational costs.

With a challenging business climate and a growing appetite for energy efficiency, how should installers navigate the commercial market in 2025?

1. Target industries strategically

In the current market, it’s critical to carefully select the industries you target. Some sectors are faring worse than others.

According to CreditorWatch, Hospitality leads in business failure rates, late payments and ATO tax debt defaults over $100,000 (3).

Other high-risk sectors include (4):

• Administrative and Support Services
• Arts and Recreation Services
• Transport, Postal and Warehousing
• Construction

Businesses in these industries are likely prioritising short-term financial relief over longer-term investments in energy efficiency. They may also struggle to get an application for financing over the line, making them less than ideal prospects.

Instead, consider focusing on lower-risk industries. As of October 2024, the following sectors had the highest proportion of businesses rated as “low” or “very low” risk (5):

• Wholesale trade
• Manufacturing
• Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing

These industries not only have healthier financial outlooks but also stand to gain significant benefits from energy-efficiency upgrades. Data shows that Manufacturing is Australia’s most energy-intensive industry, while Agriculture ranks fourth (6).

With strong potential savings, relatively stable financial conditions and low-risk profiles, businesses in Manufacturing and Agriculture could be excellent prospects to target.

2. Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach

As Australia’s commercial decarbonisation market matures, appealing to a sophisticated customer and standing out from competitors will require you to be more strategic with your sales pitch. The generic “save money with solar” proposition, which may have worked in the past, is unlikely to resonate as effectively with today’s commercial audience

The key? Offer tailored, optimised solutions, not generic, one-size-fits-all packages.

Learn about the target industries you have selected and their specific business challenges and their commercial goals. For instance:

• Do they face high cooling, heating or processing costs?
• Is cash flow a significant concern?
• Are they planning to expand their operations or move into new markets?
• Are there any industry-specific rebates they could leverage?

Understanding these details allows you to propose the most suitable and compelling solutions.

3. Leverage trending products

A maturing market also brings opportunities in emerging subsectors. While the skyrocketing pace of solar PV adoption has slowed a little in the last few years, industry experts predict that we will see those steep trajectories in growth rates with heat pumps and batteries (7).

These technologies are becoming more affordable and better understood, driving increased demand. Concerns about grid stability (8) have further heightened interest in batteries, with many states rolling out rebates to support their adoption.

So, how can you capitalise on these growing markets?

• Bundle multiple equipment types
  Don’t limit your customers’ potential savings – or your deal size – by selling just one type of equipment. Consider offering bundled packages, such as Solar + Battery or Solar + Heat Pump, at discounted prices to encourage adoption.
• Revisit previous commercial solar projects
  Look at your past commercial solar installations. Could these customers benefit from adding a battery to their system now?

4. Always offer finance

In the current economic climate, businesses are understandably being mindful of their cash reserves, so spending on a decarbonisation project may be lower on their list of priorities.

Yet, delaying their decarbonisation efforts keeps businesses drowning in high energy bills.

The solution? Investing in energy-efficiency equipment without any capital.

By using a Payment Plan or PPA to invest in energy-efficiency equipment, a business can reduce their exposure to electricity market volatility as well as save money without spending any of their own capital. In most cases, monthly energy-bill savings exceed the cost of repayments, resulting in a cash-flow positive position.

Helping business owners understand that a cash-flow positive position leaves money in their pocket each month can be an extremely powerful selling point in today’s business environment.

Despite the challenges in the commercial market, there are plenty of opportunities for installers who plan effectively and adapt to evolving customer needs.

By focusing on high-potential industries, offering tailored solutions, leveraging trending technologies and always selling the cash-flow benefits, you can take full advantage of growing demand within the commercial sector.

(1) https://creditorwatch.com.au/blog/tough-start-to-2025-ahead-for-australian-businesses-sector-outlook-worst-for-hospitality/

(2) https://www.pv-magazine.com/2025/01/15/australias-rooftop-solar-market-ends-2024-on-high/

(3) https://creditorwatch.com.au/blog/business-failures-at-highest-rate-since-peak-of-pandemic/

(4) ibid

(5) https://creditorwatch.com.au/blog/creditorwatch-rates-16-2-of-hospitality-businesses-as-high-risk-or-above-forecast-closure-rate-of-8-9-over-next-12-months-for-the-sector/

(6) https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/energy/energy-account-australia/latest-release

(7) SunWiz, July 2024. 2024 Annual SunWiz Australian PV Report

(8) https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2024/05/07/battery-energy-storage-is-must-have-to-realise-australias-renewable-potential/