Job creation and skill development are key priorities for the Indian government. Jobs created in the renewable energy market offer a significant opportunity to meet the government’s multiple goals of employment generation, clean energy expansion, and economic development.
The renewable energy sector deployed 21.2 GW capacity in just the last two years (11.8 GW in FY18 and 9.3 GW in FY19). In FY18, India added more of solar and wind capacity (at 11.2 GW), than coal-fired and hydro put together at 9.5 GW. Moreover, investments in the renewable energy sector outnumbered those in fossil-fuel-based projects in 2017, further signalling a transition towards clean energy. This remarkable growth in renewable energy also creates thousands of jobs in India.
This report provides an updated analysis on direct jobs created from solar and wind in FY18 and FY19. For this analysis, the report use the workforce numbers and job-years per megawatt (MW) or the full time equivalent (FTE) coefficients calculated in earlier reports that are based on primary data collected from multiple companies active in India’s renewable energy market. This issue brief also provides updated findings and recommendations geared toward India’s goal of 175 GW of installed renewable energy by 2022.