Jobs increasing in the Renewable Energy Sector

Not only is renewable energy benefitting the world at large by providing a cleaner and greener environment, but it has also become the largest employer worldwide. Renewable energy is now the top employment generating sector in the world. According to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the renewable energy sector has employed more than 8 million people worldwide. Out of which solar sector employments accounts for the maximum. Approximately 2.8 million were employed in the PV sector in the last year, an increase of 12% annually.

Solar jobs in USA itself grew by 22%. Renewable energy jobs in China also increased to 3.5 million. It is heartening to see these numbers in the energy efficient sector. The economies have bene improving for renewable energy worldwide, with a rising concern over global warming. Favorable policies all around the globe are being formulated to further boost this sector. The USA extended its investment tax credit and the Paris summit held last year were monumental in further propelling growth. Ambitious targets were set by emerging economies like India and policies supporting renewable energy were formulated in Asia.

This is in sharp contrast to our story covered five years ago, when we reported USA losing green jobs. This shows the level of success and development achieved by the RE Sector worldwide. As we have always propagated renewable energy is the only affordable and clean way to save the world from the perils of pollution, it is encouraging to read these numbers.

IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin said: “The continued job growth in the renewable energy sector is significant because it stands in contrast to trends across the energy sector. “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.”

Source: PV Tech

In stark contrast, job creation in other energy sectors fell. According to the report, jobs in oil and gas sector in USA dropped 18% in 2015. China, Brazil, USA, India, Japan and Germany were the most instrumental in creating more job opportunities in the renewable energy sector. In Europe, Germany was the major country providing employment in this segment, while rest of Europe reported signs of slowdown. RE job creation in Europe dropped for the fourth year consecutively. IRENA further estimates more than 24 million global jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2030.