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Clean energy workforce

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June 27, 2017

What is the issue?

Over the next 20-25 years, about 600 million additional people will join the workforce.

What are the problems?

  • The current median age in India is 27.6 years.
  • Many of the sectors, which traditionally accounted for large employment, are now adding fewer jobs year-on-year.
  • Employment in public sector enterprises has decreased from a peak of 1.49 million in 2009-10 to 1.23 million in 2015-16.
  • Automation is going to hit annual job growth in almost all existing industries, whether agriculture, construction, textiles or IT.

What will be the requirements of future jobs?

  • The shape of enterprises will change, requiring a more mobile workforce.
  • Many services will be delivered through decentralised channels.
  • New industries will need systems of lifelong learning, in order to adapt to rapid changes in technology.

Which sector has potential?

  • In this context renewable energy is on a rapid growth trajectory in India.
  • Solar capacity increased from less than 20 megawatts (Mw) in 2010 to above 12,000 Mw.
  • In the last three years, investments in the power sector have been primarily in renewables, accompanied by sharp falls in solar and wind tariffs and increasing investor confidence.
  • But only little attention is given to the employment potential in renewable energy.
  • In February 2015, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) had projected that India’s 160,000 Mw of solar and wind targets would generate about 1.3 million full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs.
  • Most jobs fall in the semi-skilled and unskilled categories.
  • The greatest potential for the renewables workforce lies in smaller, decentralised projects.
  • Per Mw, rooftop projects create 24.7 jobs, compared to 3.4 jobs in utility-scale solar and 1.27 jobs in wind.
  • Decentralised energy also increases the potential for creating jobs locally, giving opportunities to local entrepreneurs or for recruiting workers from near project sites.
  • Every state has potential for jobs in solar.
  • In addition, new jobs could be created to manufacture solar photovoltaic modules, solar PV installation structures, wind turbines, towers, wind blades, etc.

 

Source: Business Standard

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