Renewable energy is a source of work for 6.5 million people

Humanity is increasingly using renewable energy sources, which is undeniably evidenced by a steady increase in the volume of world production of the final product, an increase in sales of equipment with a decrease in its price, an increase in capitalization and an increase in the price of shares of companies engaged in the industry.

The number of people who are provided with work by renewable energy is one of the indicators of its success and demand. The latest data on employment in the industry was recently published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). According to the “Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2014” report, green energy employs 6.5 million people worldwide.

The comprehensive annual review demonstrates steady growth in renewable energy jobs. If in 2012 5.7 million people worked in the industry, then by the results of 2013 this figure increased by 800 thousand.

“With 6.5 million people directly or indirectly employed in renewable energy, the sector is proving that it has ceased to be a niche and has become a significant employer worldwide,” said Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA Director General. “Understanding the shifts in value chain segments shown in the report is critical to developing policies to strengthen job growth in this important sector of the economy.”

Renewable energy employment was shaped in 2013 by industry shifts and restructuring, growing competition and advances in technology and production processes. The largest employers in the industry are China, Brazil, USA, India, Germany, Spain and Bangladesh. Among the types of renewable energy, the number of jobs is led by solar energy, biofuels, wind energy, biomass and biogas.



China’s performance has increased significantly due to production activity and an increase in the number of annual installations of photovoltaic converters. IRENA recorded a fivefold increase from 2011 to 2013.

“Explosive demand for solar converters in China and Japan has increased employment in the installation sector and eased the problem of oversupply of photovoltaic modules,” said Rabia Ferroukhi, Head of Information, Policy and Finance at IRENA and lead author of the report. As a result, many Chinese manufacturers are increasing their capacity.

While wind power from China and Canada is showing positive trends, the U.S. performance is mixed due to political uncertainty. Offshore wind power is still concentrated in Europe, particularly in the UK and Germany.

Biofuels, together with the supply chain, hold the second place in the number of jobs in renewable energy after solar PV transformation. The largest producer of biofuels is the United States, while the largest employer is Brazil.

The review was presented at the Clean Energy Ministerial, a meeting of energy ministers and other dignitaries from 23 countries in Seoul on May 12-13, 2014.



Source: facepla.net