From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Renewable Energy Employs 8.1 Million People Worldwide, Says New IRENA Report
By International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
May 25, 2016 - 11:57:42 AM
Renewable energy jobs continue to rise even as employment in the broader energy sector falls
Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.,25 May 2016 –
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.
Download Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2016: http://bit.ly/1TrVO5o
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