Antinuclear

2.4 million jobs in India’s Renewable Energy sector by 2020

Indian Renewable Energy Sector to Create 2.4 Million Jobs by 2020 http://theenergycollective.com/energyjobline/147291/indian-renewable-energy-sector-create-24-million-jobs-2020 by C. Dominguez November 24, 2012 India’s renewable energy sector is to create up to 2.4 million jobs by 2020, according to a report jointly commissioned by environmental group Greenpeace, the Global Wind Energy Council and the European Renewable Energy Council.
To date, the sector employs 200,000 people, but this could jump 14 times by 2030 with the right policies and investments in place, stated India Energy [R]evolution report.
By 2050, about 92 percent of India’s energy infrastructure will be based on renewable energy sources. Renewables such as wind, solar thermal energy and photovoltaic, will comprise 74 percent of electricity generation.

The study projected that the country will experience immediate market
development, with high annual growth rates achieving renewable
electricity share of 32 percent already by 2020 and 62 percent by
2030. Moreover, the installed capacity of renewable energy will reach
548 gigawatts in 2030 and 1,356 by 2050.

“It is a win-win strategy for India to combine security of energy
supply and job creation,” said Sven Teske, Senior Energy Expert from
Greenpeace International. Meanwhile, the radical shift to renewable
energy and energy efficiency on a long-term basis will deliver savings
of about one-fourth of the country’s energy spending. Given that
renewables have no fuel costs, India could save as much as 285
trillion Indian rupees ($ 5,500 billion) to 7.1 trillion Indian rupees
($ 138 billion) per year under the Energy [R]evolution scenario.

The total average yearly investment in fossil fuels will be offset by
the growth of renewable energy, stated the report. Thus, India would
shift roughly 97 percent of the overall investments in renewables
along with cogeneration, of which the average renewable energy
investments annually will reach 6.1 trillion India rupees ($ 117
billion) between 2011 and 2050.

“Future of India’s growth lies with massive expansion and deployment
of renewable energy technologies through key policy reforms and
significant investments, without putting any negative impact on its
pristine forest and dependent marginalized communities,” stressed
Greenpeace.

Renewable energy development will also help India reduce its carbon
emissions, which is now crucial in the face of climate change. The
report stated that the country will decrease its emissions from 1.7
million tons in 2009 to 426 million tons in 2050. Additionally, annual
per capita emissions will drop from 1.4 ton per capita to 0.3 per
capita. By 2050, India’s carbon emissions will be 72 percent of 1990
levels, noted the report.

The India Energy [R]evolution report, which focuses on the
socio-economic impacts of renewable and proposes the pathway to ensure
India’s energy security in the long run, “comes at a critical time
when the country is facing massive power shortage due to the inability
of fossil fuels to meet its economic aspirations,” said Greenpeace.

According to Abhishek Pratap, the environmental group’s Senior Energy
Campaigner in India, the recent massive electricity grid failure and
severe power shortages that hit India due to the staggering
electricity demand, is a reminder that “coal and other fossil fuels
have no future and their era of dominance is over.”

“A transition to renewable energy is the best and the only option for
the government to secure the future growth of our nation,” he added.

November 27, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized