Study: 6.5 Million Renewable Energy Employees Globally in 2013

A new study released on May eleven by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has found that about 6.5 million people were employed in the renewable energy industry worldwide in 2013, compared to 5.7 million in 2012. The biggest sector in terms of employees was the solar energy industry with 2.27 million workers. Solar was followed by the liquid biofuels industry which has 1.45 million workers, the wind energy sector with 834,000 employees, and the biomass sector with 782,000.

The countries with the biggest renewable energy workforces last year were China, Brazil, the United States, India, Germany, Spain, and Bangladesh, respectively. Surging demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in China and Japan has increased employment in the installation sectors.

IRENA was established in 2009 to promote the growth and adoption of renewable energy globally. The agency has a membership of over 130 countries, and around 40 additional countries are in the accession process and actively engaged. See the IRENA news release.

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