How Does Renewable Energy Create Job Opportunity?

Since almost all countries around the world are now pursuing sustainable long-term energy solutions, a well-crafted deployment and enabling policies for renewable energy could possibly create millions of new job opportunities. 

According to an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report, the accelerated uptake of renewable energy could boost the total energy jobs to 100 million by 2050. Furthermore, jobs related to renewable energy could reach 42 million by 2050 or 62% more than what have been planned today.

Renewable energy jobs are prosperous across America. It’s successfully created stable and high-wage employment in some of the country’s most fossil fuel-heavy states. According to the E2.org Clean Jobs America report, 335,000 American work in the solar industry and more than 111,000 work in the wind industry. The total number of employees working in clean energy is outnumbering the fossil fuel workers in America. In Asia itself, it’s predicted that it could reach 64% of renewable jobs by 2050.

Renewable Energy Jobs Around the World

According to The Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2019 published by Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), there were approximately 11,000,000 renewable energy jobs in various sectors in the world. 

Below are 8 primary sectors of renewable energy jobs:

1. Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
   The term “photovoltaic” is used to describe a process known as the “photovoltaic effect” the process by which a material such as silicon converts sunlight into electricity. To put it simply,  solar PV is the rooftop solar you see on homes and businesses, which produces electricity from solar energy directly.

   Across the world, solar PV keeps providing the highest employment in renewable energy with approximately 3,605,000 jobs. According to this report, China is leading with 2,194,000 jobs provided in this sector.

2. Biofuel
   Biofuel is an umbrella term that refers to energy made from living matter such as plants while biodiesel is one of biofuel types. This sector employs around 2,063,000 individuals around the world. As reported in statista.com, Brazil is the leading country with around 839,000 biofuel-related jobs.
3. Hydropower
   This renewable energy sector employs up to 2,054,000 people in the world. The United States hydropower job sector currently employs up to 300,000 workers, starting from project development, manufacturing, operations, and maintenance.
4. Wind
   Referring to statista.com, the number of wind-energy related jobs worldwide is totalled up to 1,17 million in 2019. According to Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) data, China has created around 510,000 wind-related jobs in 2019.

   

5. Solar heating and cooling
   Solar heating and cooling technologies collect the thermal energy from the sun to provide hot water, space heating, cooling and pool heating for residential, commercial and industrial applications. These technologies are the substitute for electricity or natural gas.

   Estimated by IRENA, the global employment in this sector stood at 807,000 jobs in 2017. China has long been the clear leader in solar heating and cooling job sectors and still contributes to 83% of total jobs in this sector.

6. Solid biomass
   Solid Biomass is fuel that is derived from organic materials, such as virgin wood or wood waste. Solid Biomass is a renewable and sustainable source of energy used to create electricity or other forms of power.Solid biomass is solid and compressed organic matter and organi that releases their stored energy through combustion and burning. Wood residues, trees, and shrubs are the examples. Renewable energy in the solid biomass sector has grown in several countries. In China, solid biomass job has reached up to 180,000 jobs while the European provides 344,000 jobs in this sector
7. Biogas
   Biogas was made produced by anaerobic digestion of organic waste provides a versatile energy source where methane can be used for the generation of renewable heat, electricity and fuel in replacement for fossil fuels.

   Biogas is frequently used as cooking fuels, including Indonesia. China is still leading with the job number in this sector up to 145,000 jobs opportunities.

8. Geothermal
   According to The United State Energy and Employment Report (USEER) report, the geothermal sector has provided 8,526 jobs in 2018. European Union also provides for almost 23,000 employment opportunities.

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References: 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/07/renewable-energy-stimulus-three-times-as-many-australia-jobs-fossil-fuels-coronavirus-economic-recovery

https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2019/04/22/renewable-energy-job-boom-creating-economic-opportunity-as-coal-industry-slumps/?sh=1c041fc53665

https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Feb/Measuring-the-socioeconomics-of-transition-Focus-on-jobs

https://www.statista.com/statistics/268400/jobs-in-the-wind-energy-industry-worldwide-since-2005/

https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-jobs-in-renewable-energy-energy-efficiency-and-resilience-2019

https://www.statista.com/statistics/243267/worldwide-estimated-biofuel-related-jobs-by-region/