The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) is pleased to share a new edition of the ‘Pushing the frontiers of economic, social and cultural rights’ series. This third edition contains a contribution by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on an energy intervention conducted in Rural Bihar, India comprised of the promotion of Solar Home Systems in low-income communities. The brief discusses the impact of this local intervention on energy patriarchy and on gender relations critically examining its potential to improve women’s livelihoods and transform uneven power relations between local women and men.

The brief is part of our ‘Pushing the frontiers of economic, social and cultural rights’ series, which aims to foster collective reflection among activists, practitioners, organisations and communities on how we can, together, further develop the human rights framework as an axis and tool for transformative change to tackle imbalances of power, social and economic injustices, and environmental degradation.

In this light, we hope this brief exploring the interlinkages between renewable energy and gender relations contributes to foster the debate on the energy transition as a key human rights and gender issue and invite reflection on the multiple strategies and measures we can envision to combat energy poverty and the climate crisis, while tackling structural conditions of discrimination against women.