11 million people are now employed in renewable energy worldwide, as more and more countries realise the benefits of renewables.

National policies, along with falling technology costs and the need to address climate change, have driven renewable energy growth and boosted employment in the sector.

Government policies are vital to accelerate investment, build viable supply chains and create the workforce with the necessary skills. Beyond total job numbers, the quality of job creation is of equal importance.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind remain the most dynamic of all renewable energy industries.

Solar PV is the top employer, accounting for a third of the sector’s workflow. Rising output ensured that biofuel jobs remained in second place. Most of these jobs are generated in planting and harvesting of feedstock.

Hydropower, a long-established source of power generation, has the largest installed capacity of all renewables albeit with slower growth.

Solar PV employment has reached an estimated 3.6 million jobs.

Globally, the solar PV industry installed 94 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in 2018. China, India, the United States and Japan were the most important installation markets.

China accounted for 69% of global cell and 64% of module capacities in 2018. Asian countries (excluding India) held shares of 92% and 85%, respectively.

Fifty leading solar PV panel manufacturers maintain factories in 23 countries.

Most of the wind industry’s activity still occurs on land. The 540 GW of cumulative onshore capacity compares with about 23 GW in offshore projects.

But offshore is gaining traction, receiving USD 25.7 billion of investments in 2018, or 20% of the total. For the first time, China led the way with offshore projects worth USD 11.4 billion. European projects attracted spending of USD 3.3 billion.

About half of all wind jobs are in Asia, while Europe accounts for 28% and North America for 10%. Regionally, wind employment is more balanced than solar employment.

Renewable energy plays an increasingly important role in improving energy access.

Global renewable off-grid capacity more than doubled in the past decade and off-grid solar PV expanded 10-fold, helping create jobs in many regions of the world.

Renewable energy deployment in Africa is still comparatively small, but there are encouraging developments. Off-grid solar has already generated more than 100 000 full-time equivalent jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa, a number that is set to multiply in coming years.