L R AS Published on Saturday 24 September 2022 - n° 417 - Categories:European countries
Sharp rise in PV employment in Europe in 2021 and between now and 2030, according to SPE
The solar industry in the EU will employ 466,000 people full-time in 2021, 108,000 more than in 2020. The majority of jobs
(79%) is linked to deployment, according to SolarPower Europe. Manufacturing and operation and maintenance (O&M) contributed 9% last year, while decommissioning and recycling remained a minor source of jobs with a 3% share. This year, the industry could see jobs rise by 30% to 606,000, if installed capacity reaches 40 GW. If the REPowerEU target is met in 2030 (600 GW-ac - 750 GW-dc), the Union will need one million workers in the solar sector, double the figure for 2021.
See also: Global employment in energy, electricity and photovoltaics according to the IEA
In several Member States, the lack of installers to meet the growing demand for solar energy is a major bottleneck: Citizens and businesses "are desperate for rapid and appropriate protection against soaring electricity and gas prices."
Even in countries with fewer administrative hurdles, Europeans have reported waiting times of up to a year for the installation of rooftop solar systems, which increase further if they are combined with battery storage or heat pumps.
Poland has the highest number of jobs in the EU solar sector, with 113,000, due to the high proportion of jobs in the residential photovoltaic segment, which accounted for 90% of solar jobs in the country.
Germany had the second highest number of jobs in the EU, with almost 87,000, while Spain had almost 66,000, most of them in the power plant segment.
The other countries with the most jobs in the solar industry are, in order, the Netherlands, Greece, France and Italy.
https://www.pv-tech.org/repowereu-scenario-could-double-number-of-solar-jobs-in-eu-by-2030/
PV Tech of 21 September 2022
Editor's note: The number of jobs for the same year (2021) differs by a factor of two between the IEA, which estimates 260,000, and SolarPower Europe, which puts the figure at 466,000. The higher figure is for the European Union countries, and the lower figure is for Europe, including Great Britain!
Who are we to believe?
