Nagpur: India’s renewable energy sector can potentially employ around one million people by 2030, which will be around ten times more than the existing workforce of an estimated 1.1 lakh employed by the sector, reveals a latest study.
At COP26 in Glasgow, the country committed to installing 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity and generating 50% of its electricity through renewable energy sources by 2030. Experts have predicted that most of the new capacities for electricity generation are likely to be based on solar and wind energy.
According to the independent study ‘India’s Expanding Clean Energy Workforce’ released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) on Thursday, most of the new jobs would be generated by small-scale renewable energy projects such as rooftop solar and mini and micro-grid systems, compared to utility or large-scale projects like solar parks.
The analysis also highlighted the adverse impact of the pandemic on employment in the clean energy sector. “In comparison to 12,400 new workers employed in the sector in 2019, only 5,200 new workers were employed in 2020, while 6,400 were employed last year,” it stated.
With nearly 700 million people under the age of 30, creating clean futuristic jobs is a priority for the country, stated Sameer Kwatra, director of the India Program at NRDC. “India’s unprecedented renewables journey can set a new paradigm on how countries pursue prosperity without adding carbon to the atmosphere. Powering the economy through renewable energy will not only enhance energy independence, avoid carbon emissions and air pollution, but also help meet India’s employment goals,” Kwatra added.
Stressing on the employment and growth opportunity that the country’s renewable energy targets offer, Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of CEEW said, “The upcoming Union Budget must especially focus on scaling up rooftop solar, mini and micro-grid systems and domestic solar manufacturing to maximise the employment opportunities in the sector. Further, to accelerate the deployment of solar parks and increase the uptake of decentralised renewable energy applications such as solar pumps and rooftops in rural India, it would be critical to train the rural youth and make them employable in various parts of the renewables ecosystem.”
Agreeing that skill development programmes should target rural areas on this, CEO of SCGJ Praveen Saxena added that trainings on emerging technologies like batteries and green hydrogen should be provided so that a skilled workforce is available to accelerate their deployment.
The study also recommended that the country should focus on playing a bigger role in the global supply chain through improvement in local manufacturing of solar cells and panels. “Policymakers should also focus on strengthening the grid infrastructure to accommodate the high levels of variable renewable energy. These allied sectors would create additional employment opportunities,” it added.
What study says
– Workforce employed in sector could increase 10 times by 2030
– Bulk of new jobs could be created by small projects like rooftop solar and mini and micro grids
– Experts recommend training rural youth
– Improvement in local manufacturing of solar cells and panels also needed
At COP26 in Glasgow, the country committed to installing 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil fuel-based energy capacity and generating 50% of its electricity through renewable energy sources by 2030. Experts have predicted that most of the new capacities for electricity generation are likely to be based on solar and wind energy.
According to the independent study ‘India’s Expanding Clean Energy Workforce’ released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) on Thursday, most of the new jobs would be generated by small-scale renewable energy projects such as rooftop solar and mini and micro-grid systems, compared to utility or large-scale projects like solar parks.
The analysis also highlighted the adverse impact of the pandemic on employment in the clean energy sector. “In comparison to 12,400 new workers employed in the sector in 2019, only 5,200 new workers were employed in 2020, while 6,400 were employed last year,” it stated.
With nearly 700 million people under the age of 30, creating clean futuristic jobs is a priority for the country, stated Sameer Kwatra, director of the India Program at NRDC. “India’s unprecedented renewables journey can set a new paradigm on how countries pursue prosperity without adding carbon to the atmosphere. Powering the economy through renewable energy will not only enhance energy independence, avoid carbon emissions and air pollution, but also help meet India’s employment goals,” Kwatra added.
Stressing on the employment and growth opportunity that the country’s renewable energy targets offer, Arunabha Ghosh, CEO of CEEW said, “The upcoming Union Budget must especially focus on scaling up rooftop solar, mini and micro-grid systems and domestic solar manufacturing to maximise the employment opportunities in the sector. Further, to accelerate the deployment of solar parks and increase the uptake of decentralised renewable energy applications such as solar pumps and rooftops in rural India, it would be critical to train the rural youth and make them employable in various parts of the renewables ecosystem.”
Agreeing that skill development programmes should target rural areas on this, CEO of SCGJ Praveen Saxena added that trainings on emerging technologies like batteries and green hydrogen should be provided so that a skilled workforce is available to accelerate their deployment.
The study also recommended that the country should focus on playing a bigger role in the global supply chain through improvement in local manufacturing of solar cells and panels. “Policymakers should also focus on strengthening the grid infrastructure to accommodate the high levels of variable renewable energy. These allied sectors would create additional employment opportunities,” it added.
What study says
– Workforce employed in sector could increase 10 times by 2030
– Bulk of new jobs could be created by small projects like rooftop solar and mini and micro grids
– Experts recommend training rural youth
– Improvement in local manufacturing of solar cells and panels also needed
.