Potential for 30,000 jobs by end of decade
Renewable energy has been a bright spot in the south west during the economic decline with the number of people employed in the sector climbing to 7,000, a 40% increase in one year, according to a new report out this week. With the right support that could climb to 30,000 jobs by 2020.
The report "Renewable Energy: Made in Britain" by the Renewable Energy Association shows that in 2010/11, 7,000 people were employed in the renewable energy sector in the south west. That compares with Regen’s figures of 5,000 employed in 2009/10. Nationally the sector employs over 110,000 people.
The UK has a target of 15% energy from renewable energy sources by 2020 – achieving that could create jobs for 400,000 people nationally and 30,000 in the south west.
Merlin Hyman, Chief Executive of Regen, commented, "Renewable energy jobs have continued to boom in the teeth of the recession and even these figures are an underestimate as they don’t include the strong performance of the sector in the last year."
He continued, "Over the next decade clean energy is the biggest economic opportunity we have. Backing ambitious projects like the South West Marine Energy Park, Atlantic Array offshore wind farm, Communities for Renewables and work to lead the way on the Green Deal is vital if we are to seize this opportunity."
Examples of south west companies leading the way in renewable energy include:
Chippenham-based renewable energy supplier and developer, Good Energy, has grown from 55 staff in 2009 to 82 by the end of 2011
Exeter-based renewable energy installer, Sungift, has grown from 9 staff in 2010 to 46 in 2012
Okehampton-based biomass system installer, Fair Energy, has grown from 3 people in 2010 to 20 staff in 2012
Falmouth-based Large Diameter Drilling won the contract to deploy the world's most powerful reverse circulation top pile drill to install foundations for 160 turbines at the £2 billion Gwynt y Môr offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay