New research published by the Renewable Energy Association and Innovas reveals that the UK’s 12.5 billion renewables industry supports 110,000 jobs across the supply chain and could support as much as 400,000 jobs by 2020.
The report titled, ‘Renewable Energy: Made in Britain’, will be launched tomorrow on the eve of the Clean Energy Ministerial Summit. The summit will see the 23 nations responsible for 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions meet to drive public-private engagement to support clean energy deployment. The summit has already drawn the criticism of the solar industry after Government failed to invite any representatives from the UK solar industry.
The ground-breaking report is the first to pull together turnover and employment figures for the whole UK renewable industry. The report finds that in 2010/11, the UK renewable industry was worth £12.5 billion and supported 110,000 jobs. The report also reveals that the UK will need to support 400,000 jobs in total to meet the renewables targets.
The paper notes that the UK renewables market increased in market value from 2009/10 to 2010/11 by 11 percent, a figure that outstripped economic growth over the same period by a factor of eight.
Launching the report, REA Chief Executive Gaynor Hartnell said: “Harnessing our renewables creates employment and means that rather than spending money on energy imports we can keep it circulating in the UK economy. Government needs to take steps to build the skills base and keep the UK on track to meet its renewables targets. When it comes to the employment, economic and energy challenges we face, the answer is clear – make it renewable and make it in Britain.”
The REA hopes that the report will help drive deeper discussions on UK renewables by Government and implement a joined-up approach in tackling the “single most important economic opportunity of this generation.”
Commenting on the report Gregory Barker, Minister of State for Climate Change, said: “Renewable energy not only provides us with clean and secure energy that cuts our reliance on imported fossil fuels – it generates billions of pounds of investment and potentially hundreds and thousands of jobs and is a key growth sector for the UK economy. The REA’s report sets out plainly the opportunities and challenges in this area. We are determined to seize the momentum and secure maximum benefit for the UK.”
