Renewable Energy and Jobs – An Overview

It is one of the main goals of the modern society to become independent of energy sources that are not renewable, such as oil, coal and natural gas. The sources we are trying hard to introduce into our daily lives are solar energy, wind power, hydropower and biofuel, to name only a few. Over the past couple of decades, we have come far in making this endeavor a true success, as well as something that will be used to everyone’s benefit. Here are some numbers that point to the fact that renewable energy will be a great source of employment as well.

It has been estimated that during 2015, the number of people employed in the renewable energy sector rose by 5%, meaning that it has reached 8.1 million people. Although the number is rising more slowly than it did during the years that preceded 2015, it is still showing a lot more promise than the employment statistics for the energy sector in general. At first, the countries that offered the highest number of jobs in the renewable energy sector were China, the United States, Brazil, India, Germany and Japan. Nowadays, the market is becoming dominated by Asian countries, which according to the latest statistics, hold a 60% share of all the jobs.

When it comes to specific fields in the renewable energy sector, the one that is growing the fastest is certainly wind power, at least according to the data gathered during 2015. It has experienced a 5% rise on a global scale, which means that it is currently employing 1.1 million people. This is mostly thanks to the latest developments in China, Germany and the United States.

The field with the highest number of jobs is definitely bioenergy. While biomass and biogas employ 822,000 and 382,000 people respectively, the number of jobs reserved for liquid biofuels has risen to a whopping 1.7 million. Considering the fact that in the meantime, the number of jobs has declined by 6%, it seems safe to conclude that bioenergy has nothing to fear when it comes to further growth and development

Another area in which jobs availability is constantly increasing is geothermal ( According to a survey conducted by GEA (Geothermal Energy Association), 86 out of 100 jobs in the geothermal industry are full time, which makes this business one of the best in the world for the ratio between full-time workers and the total number of jobs. Geothermal provides long-term employment for different people with different background and experience: mechanics, plumbers, pipe fitters, electricians, surveyors, hydrologists, electrical and structural engineers among the others, as the list may still continue.

According to a survey made by the Western Governors Association (WGA), the next future will see a significant increase in geothermal employment all over the world.

All in all, renewable energy is a sector that will yield a significant number of employment opportunities.