8.1 million employed in renewable energy worldwide!

30.05.16 By
This article is more than 7 years old

There are now more than 8.1 MILLION PEOPLE employed by the renewable energy industry worldwide, according to a new report released from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2016 found renewable energy jobs increased by 5% in 2015, with China, Brazil, the US, India, Japan and Germany leading the way.

How does that compare to Australia? Well, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 12,200 direct jobs in the Australian renewable energy sector in 2014-15.

Solar PV remains the top sector with 2.8 million jobs worldwide, followed by liquid biofuels (1.7 million) and wind power (1.1 million).

Despite the boom in renewables, jobs in the broader energy sector (including fossil fuels) decreased. In the US, solar jobs overtook those in oil and natural gas extraction for the first time.

 

IRENA’s research estimates that doubling the share of renewable energy globally by 2030 – enough to meet global climate and development targets – would result in more than 24 million jobs worldwide.

Check out the full IRENA report here.


Note: Both IRENA and ABS statistics exclude hydropower.

Preview Image Credit: Oregon Department of Transportation via Flickr licensed under CC BY 2.0