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Climate Action Means Solar Jobs
A central topic for recovery plans is of course employment. And it’s a topic that the Global Solar Council has
already put at the heart of its mission, setting a target of boosting the sector’s employment to 10 million
solar jobs by 2030 from 3.75 million in 2019 as estimated by the International Renewable Energy Agency
(IRENA). Solar PV is already the biggest renewable energy employer globally, having overtaken bioenergy in
terms of jobs in 2015.

Getting to that 10 million-job level will require trillions of dollars in long-term, stable investments and multiple
terawatts of PV generation. The Global Solar Council has adopted policy positions that support action and
implementation towards this goal. They were presented at the COP24 climate summit in Poland in December
2018 and at the COP25 in Madrid in 2019.

These recommendations remain critical today. That’s why, as members of the IRENA Coalition for Action,
the Global Solar Council was among 100 leading renewable energy organizations to actively support
its joint call for action, putting forward concrete recommendations on how governments can ensure a
rapid and sustained economic recovery that aligns with climate and sustainability objectives. They involve
shifting support away from fossil fuels and towards renewables, promoting a just transition and strengthening
international cooperation.

But solar power is about much more than jobs and investments and new technologies, as important as those
issues are today: solar power is set to play a key role in unleashing an array of environmental, social and
economic benefits and can accelerate our trajectory towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), thanks to PV’s ability to deliver not only our climate objectives but also bring advantages in
terms of employment, health, education, gender equality and poverty alleviation.

PV’s Global Ripple Effect
The relevance of solar for the SDGs is highlighted by a few key facts: 789 million people today remain
without access to electricity (SDG 7), 300 million children are without power at primary school (SDG 4) and a
staggering 90% of the global population is at risk due to air pollution (SDG 3). That said, 11.5 million people
are already employed in renewable energy (SDG 8) and 32% of them are women (SDG 5) while 17.1% of final
energy consumption comes from renewables (SDG 13).

Solar PV’s “ripple effect” – a potent factor in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa and south east Asia – is well
illustrated by the economic, social and health benefits gained by increasing access to energy through off-
grid and micro-grid technologies and by providing clean water to all, for example using solar to create cost-
effective, green desalination solutions on both a small and large scale.

The Global Solar Council has been active throughout 2020 in raising awareness about the important role the
industry can play at a global level. Following the pandemic-focused industry survey, the council has organised
a series of webinars and its first Virtual Forum, hosting dozens of industry representatives and experts in
energy and development hailing from Indonesia to Italy and from Nigeria to Brazil and the USA.

To further promote the adoption of solar power in new, emerging markets, the Global Solar Council has set
up three regional task forces focusing on: Africa, Latin America and South East Asia. The aim of each group
is to stimulate cooperation among PV associations, share best practices and promote high potential emerging
markets to international investors.

The Global Solar Council is an active partner in promoting mass adoption of solar power, fully aware of the
widescale benefits that will flow from that future scenario. Not only for our industry and achieving climate
goals but also for the sustainable development of our economies and the wellbeing of our communities.

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