In the last year, India has experienced multiple waves of an ongoing pandemic, an increase in extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts, growing economic insecurity, and a spotlight on global inequities, NRDC.org writes.
India also made fresh climate announcements in 2021, demonstrating that governments can generate employment, preserve health, and battle the climate catastrophe. With a median age of 28 years, India’s economic development and job creation are top priorities now and in the future.
Fortunately, India’s renewable energy aspirations may assist the government achieve its various objectives of climate resilience, job creation, energy independence, and economic growth.
According to a new and updated NRDC, CEEW, and SCGJ report, “India’s Expanding Clean Energy Workforce: Opportunities in the Solar and Wind Energy Sectors,” expanding clean energy has enormous employment and economic potential: if India achieves its goal of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy sources by 2030, it can create 3.4 million new clean energy jobs, employing over a million people.
A major portion of these jobs will most likely be created by distributed renewable energy, which offers local job possibilities and brings the transformation closer to communities.
Clean energy jobs have the potential to significantly improve lives, strengthen climate resilience, and contribute to India’s national clean energy and employment targets all at the same time.
As it works toward its target of 500 GW non-fossil energy production capacity by 2030, India can generate around 3.4 million employment (both short and long term) by constructing 280 GW solar and 140 GW wind capacity. The wind and solar energy industry presently employs 111,400 people. Utility-scale and rooftop solar are the leading employment, accounting for 77 percent of the market in fiscal year (FY) 2021.
By 2030, India’s renewable energy industry might employ one million people, which would be 10 times the current employment. COVID-19, as expected, had a detrimental influence on the Indian renewable sector.
Compared to FY 2019, when 12,400 new personnel were hired in the industry, just 5,200 were hired in FY 2020 and 6,400 in FY 2021. Between 2015 and 2021, more than 100,000 employees were taught. The national-level solar energy Suryamitra training program has qualified 78,000 trainees.