future employment – key results by technology Table 7.8 shows that by 2020 there will be 3 million more jobs overall in the power sector under the Energy [R]evolution scenario - and 4 million more in the advanced version - than there would be under the Reference scenario. This does not include jobs in the energy efficiency scector, as these have not been calculated. In all scenarios there would be fewer jobs in coal between 2010 and 2020. Under the Energy [R]evolution scenarios the job losses in coal would be greater, however, and there is far stronger growth in the renewable energy sector, resulting in more overall employment.

By 2020 more than half of the direct electricity sector employment in the Energy [R]evolution scenario comes from renewable energy, even though renewables account for only 33% of electricity generation. The advanced version would result in two thirds of all jobs in renewable energy, based on 38% of the electricity generation. In the Reference scenario, on the other hand, renewable energy accounts for 30% of energy sector jobs and 21% of electricity generation. This relationship between electricity output and jobs reflects the fact that the renewables sector has greater “labour intensity” – or more people per unit of power produced. Coal is the largest employer in the reference scenario, making up nearly half of energy sector jobs throughout the period. In the Energy [R]evolution scenarios coal employment drops to 26% by 2030, and in the Advanced scenario to just 18%. This reduction is more than compensated for by the strong growth in the renewables sector.

In all scenarios, biomass employment grows the most by 2030. In the Energy [R]evolution scenarios, jobs are much more evenly spread across technologies than in the Reference scenario, with coal and biomass the largest employers at 2030 in the [R]evolution scenario, and with PV and biomass the largest employers in the Advanced scenario. The employment potential for each renewable technology and fuel is now examined in more detail.