92 AWW.COM.AU AUGUST 2017
HAIR AND MAKE-UP BY MELISSA DELFINO. SHOT ON LOCATION AT THE MOUNT MAJURA SOLAR FARM IN THE ACT.Empire of the sun
Clara Mazzone, 35
One-time aspiring actress Clara Mazzone has
worked to improve solar energy systems all
over the world. From regional Australia to
India, she has stared down bullies and
endured rape threats in her commitment to
advancing renewable energy technology.
An engineering construction project
manager in the solar sector, she oversees
projects to develop solar battery technology
and create a smarter, greener energy grid.
“My relationship with solar has always
been kind of like a dog seeing a possum,
in that every single time I see it, I get really
excited,” she says.
Clara is a long way from where she started
as a drama student in New York. She was
living in the Big Apple in 2001 when the Twin
Towers fell and that ignited her interest in
international affairs. She began studying
politics and environmental studies in a bid
to make sense of the world and quickly
became fixated on climate change.
“There was this huge issue and I thought,
‘What can we do about that?’ ” she says.
A decade later, Clara has not lost her
passion for renewables, even in the face of
fierce, sometimes threatening, opposition.
She found herself overseas running teams
of 55 men, some of whom had never worked
under a woman. Their attitudes ranged from
indifferent to menacing. She was told her
house would be burnt down and she would
be raped, but Clara rose above it using a
conciliatory management technique. “I’ve
committed to delighting in breaking down
the barriers,” she says.
As for her future aspirations, Clara hopes to
keep playing a part in tackling climate change.
“It serves the world. If I could continue doing
that I could ask for nothing more.” »