RE employs 10.3 million people, solar PV leads charge with 3.4 million jobs – IRENA

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Good news has come in for both renewables and the economy, as the number of jobs in the renewable energy sector continues to rise on the back of a strong growth in Asia.

According to the latest figures released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the clean energy industry added more than 500,000 jobs in 2017, to reach a total of 10.3 million worldwide.

The solar PV industry has remained the largest employer among all renewable energy technologies, providing 3.4 million jobs, up almost 9% from 2016, following a record 94 GW of installations in 2017.

Geographically, 65% of all solar PV jobs are located in China, which is equivalent to 2.2 million and represents an expansion of 13% over the previous year.

Despite a slight drop, Japan and the U.S. came in second and third among the largest markets for solar PV employment in the world, followed by India and Bangladesh. Currently, the top five account for around 90% of global solar PV jobs. 

Read the full article on pv magazine Global.

By Marijia Djordjevic

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