Switch to solar energy can create thousands of jobs

"The South African government plans to eventually install 1 450 Megawatt (MW) of solar PV through the initial RE IPP program before 2014. According to international research, every MW of solar generates 30 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs of which less than ten for production. The installation phase of plants alone would lead to at least 29 000 jobs (FTE)," says Edwin Koot, CEO of SolarPlaza. "The maintenance phase of solar plants creates another 1 450 employment opportunities. These downstream jobs are mainly local."

In South Africa, where 25% of the workforce is unemployed, the bulk of these jobs would be downstream since solar panels are mainly produced in China, the United States and Germany. "Solar employment opportunities in South Africa will be mainly created in areas such as the engineering and design of solar plants, the installation if the panels, marketing, maintenance of solar plants and sales," Koot adds.

Renewable energy creates more jobs than fossil fuel-based energy

"What can be said with confidence is that renewable energy of all forms - including solar - creates more jobs per unit of capacity (kW), unit of generation (kWh) or unit of investment (Rand, Dollar or Euro) than fossil fuel-based energy," says Peet du Plooy, programme manager at the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies.

A 2010 Greenpeace report dealing with the link between renewable energy and job creation in South Africa confirms this. According to the researchers a minimum of 78 000 new jobs could be created in less than two decades if the government chooses a greener route.

SolarPlaza is an international platform for solar industry stakeholders and its first gathering of 2012 will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 25 January. The link between job creation and solar will be one of the topics of discussion during the conference. Other issues that will be addressed include the investment potential of solar energy, the financing of PV projects, and what solar could mean for South Africa's electricity demand and economy.