The renewable energy industry created more than 500,000 new jobs globally in 2017, a 5.3 percent increase from 2016, according to the latest figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Tuesday.
According to the fifth edition of Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review, the total number employed in the sector, including in large hydropower plants, now stands at 10.3 million globally, surpassing 10 million for the first time.
"China, Brazil, the United States, India, Germany and Japan remain the world’s largest renewable energy employers, representing more than 70 percent of all industry jobs globally," the report highlighted.
The report also showed that 60 percent of all renewable energy jobs are in Asia.
- Solar PV has largest employer.
The solar PV industry remains the largest employer of all renewable energy technologies, accounting for close to 3.4 million jobs, up almost 9 percent from 2016 following a record 94 gigawatts (GW) of installations in 2017.
China was estimated to account for two-thirds of PV jobs – equivalent to 2.2 million – representing an expansion of 13 percent over the previous year.
Despite a slight dip in Japan and the United States, the two countries followed China as the largest markets for solar PV employment in the world. India and Bangladesh complete a top five that accounts for around 90 percent of global solar PV jobs.
- Wind industry reached 1.15 million
According to the recent data, jobs in the wind industry contracted slightly last year to 1.15 million worldwide.
While wind jobs are found in a relatively small number of countries, the degree of concentration is lower than in the solar PV sector.
China accounts for 44 percent of global wind employment, followed by Europe and North America with 30 and 10 percent, respectively. Half of the top ten countries with the largest installed capacity of wind power in the world are European.
(Anadolu Agency, 04/06/2018)
