Measuring the Socio-economics of Transition: Focus on jobs
The growth in renewable energy jobs is the logical result of the increasing deployment of renewables – a development underpinned by falling costs and supportive policies. Renewables account for more than half of all capacity additions in the global power sector since 2011 and their share in total power generation has steadily increased. Total renewable power capacity in 2018 exceeded 2 300 gigawatts (GW) globally(IRENA, 2019d), with most growth coming from new installations of wind and solar energy. More progress has been achieved in the power sector than for end uses in heating/cooling and transportation, and the expansion of renewable electricity is taking on even greater importance as electrification strategies are pursued. For example, electric cars and buses are beginning to make inroads into the vehicle market and key enabling technologies such as batteries are experiencing rapid cost reductions.
