More than 8.1 million people worldwide are
now employed by the renewable energy industry – a five percent increase from
last year – according to a report released today by the International Renewable
Energy Agency (IRENA) at its 11th Council meeting.
The report,
Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2016, also provides a global estimate
of the number of jobs supported by large hydropower, with a conservative
estimate of an additional 1.3 million direct jobs worldwide.
"The
continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it
stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector," said IRENA
Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. "This increase is being driven by
declining renewable energy technology costs and enabling policy frameworks. We
expect this trend to continue as the business case for renewables strengthens
and as countries move to achieve their climate targets agreed in Paris."
The total number
of renewable energy jobs worldwide rose in 2015 while jobs in the broader
energy sector fell, finds the report. In the United States for example,
renewable energy jobs increased 6 per cent while employment in oil and gas
decreased 18 per cent. Likewise in China, renewable energy employed 3.5 million
people, while oil and gas employed 2.6 million.
As in previous
years, enabling policy frameworks remained a key driver of employment. National
and state auctions in India and Brazil, tax credits in the United States and
favourable policies in Asia have all contributed to employment increases.
Countries with the
most renewable energy jobs in 2015 included China, Brazil, the United States,
India, Japan and Germany. The solar photovoltaic (PV) sector remains the
largest renewable energy employer worldwide with 2.8 million jobs (up from 2.5
at last count) with jobs in manufacturing, installation and operations &
maintenance. Liquid biofuels was the second largest global employer with 1.7
million jobs, followed by wind power, which grew 5 per cent to reach 1.1
million global jobs.
"As the
ongoing energy transition accelerates, growth in renewable energy employment
will remain strong," said Mr. Amin. "IRENA’s research estimates that
doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030 – enough
to meet global climate and development targets – would result in more than 24
million jobs worldwide."
-- Select report
findings: - Solar PV is the largest renewable energy employer with 2.8 million
jobs worldwide, an 11 per cent increase from last count. Employment grew in
Japan and the United States, stabilised in China, and decreased in the European
Union.
- Strong wind
installation rates in China, the United States and Germany drove a 5 per cent
increase in global employment to reach 1.1 million jobs. Wind employment in the
United States alone rose by 21 per cent.
- Jobs in liquid
biofuels, solar heating and cooling, and large and small hydropower decreased
due to various factors including increased mechanisation, slowing housing
markets, the removal of subsidies and the drop in new installations.
With more than a
third of the global renewable energy capacity additions in 2015, China led
employment with 3.5 million jobs.
In the European
Union, the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark were the global leaders in
offshore wind employment. Overall, job figures in the EU declined for the
fourth year due to weak economic growth. Jobs fell 3 per cent to 1.17 million
in 2014, the last year for which data is available. Germany remains the highest
European Union renewables employer– employing nearly as many as France, the
United Kingdom, and Italy combined.
In the United
States, renewable energy employment increased 6 per cent driven by growth in
wind and solar. Solar employment grew 22 per cent – 12 times faster than job
creation in the United States economy – surpassing jobs in oil and gas.
Employment in wind industry also grew 21 per cent.
Japan experienced
impressive gains in solar PV in recent years, resulting in a 28 per cent
increase in employment in 2014.
In India, solar
and wind markets have seen substantial activity, as the ambitious renewable
energy targets are translated into concrete policy frameworks.
Africa has also
seen many interesting developments leading to job creation, including solar and
wind development in Egypt, Morocco, Kenya and South Africa.
IRENA’s early
research indicates that the renewable energy sector employed larger shares of
women than the broader energy sector.
Image by: irenanewsroom.org
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