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Indian renewable energy sector can create 300,000 new jobs by 2020

Over 300,000 Indians could find jobs in the wind and solar industry over the next five years if the country works towards its 2022 target of 160 GW.

Currently, wind and solar together account for almost 14% of India’s installed power capacity.

Over the next three years alone, the sector can generate jobs for about 80,000 Indians.

The industry employed over 21,000 people in India in 2016-2017 and is expected to employ an estimated 25,000 people more in 2017-18, according to an analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a not-for-profit research organisation based in New Delhi, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a nonprofit.

About 64% of India’s population is expected to be in the working age-group of 15-59 years by 2026, according to Ernst and Young, a professional services consultancy. It is also likely to have the world’s largest workforce in the world by 2025. The green sector, with its employment potential, could absorb a significant chunk.