A record number of people joined the global renewable energy workforce in 2023, with solar photovoltaic jobs driving this progress, report shows.
According to the report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the global renewable energy workforce grew by 2.5 million between 2022 and 2023. One of the primary drivers of this is solar PV, with 44 per cent of the world’s total renewable energy workforce being positioned in this sector.
Other renewable energy sources propping up the green jobs boom include 2.3 million direct jobs in hydropower in 2023, although this has decreased 4 per cent from 2022, 2.8 million jobs in biofuels, primarily related to agricultural supply chains, and 1.5 million wind power jobs.
Much of the global surge in renewable energy jobs can be attributed to China’s rapid rollout of clean energy technology. China accounts for 4.6 million of the 7.1 million solar PV jobs globally. To give an idea of the scale of this sector, the EU is the second biggest solar PV employer with just 720,000. China is also expanding its wind energy sector with 745,000 of 1.5 million jobs within this sector, the EU again being a fairly distant second with just 316,300 jobs.
Globally, roughly 474 GW of renewable energy electricity was installed in 2023, including 116 GW of wind power, and a record 347 GW of solar PV capacity being added with a cumulative capacity of 1411 GW, exceeding the languorously expanding hydropower sector.
Many countries hit new renewable energy records in 2023, including Brazil, Germany, China, and Spain. What’s more, seven countries, including Albania, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Iceland, Nepal, Paraguay and the Democratic Republic of Congo, generated more than 99.7 per cent of their energy from renewable sources including geothermal, hydro, solar and wind.
The global renewable energy sector boom marks a clear transition away from traditional high emission fossil fuel energy sources. The UK, for example, recently ended its 142 year history of coal-powered energy with the closure of its last operating facility, paving the way for increased investment in wind, solar, and hydropower solutions.
However, the expansion of global renewable energy is uneven. Between 2014 and 2023, China invested USD 1572 billion in renewable energy, almost three times more than the US, and twice as much as Europe (USD 785 billion). This is largely due to the fact that China is the most dominant equipment manufacturer in the world for solar PV and wind energy. It’s no surprise that in 2023 China installed 65.5 per cent and 62.8 per cent of the world’s new wind and solar PV capacity respectively.
International collaboration is needed to ensure a just renewable energy transition. The expansion of renewable technologies requires appropriate skills and education, equipment, and infrastructure. While China dominates the global market, Arica received just 2 per cent of the world’s renewable energy investments between 2000 and 2020, totalling USD 2.8 trillion. Today, Africa account for less than 1 per cent of the world’s solar PV and wind generating capacities despite high resource potential and land rife for mass renewable energy projects.
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