European solar power is growing, bringing jobs and economic development with it. From 2018 onwards, a new boom is expected, with employment in the sector rising by 145 per cent in 4 years. In Italy, the industry will grow by 320 per cent by 2021.
In 2016, the solar photovoltaic sector in the 28-member European Union employed more than 81,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and generated a gross value added (GVA) of over 4,600 million euros. This is despite the sector having been put to the test in terms of installed capacity and turnover from 2011–12 onwards, the period when a decline in newly installed capacity relative to the boom years (2007–2011) first began to be recorded. This is attested by the new report "Solar PV Jobs & Value Added in Europe" published by SolarPower Europe Association, the organisation that represents companies, professionals and all those working along the solar photovoltaic value chain in Europe.
81,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees — roughly three times the total global workforce of Eni — and a gross value added (GVA) of over 4,600 million euros: these are the figures for the solar photovoltaic sector in the 28-member European Union for 2016. The data speak clearly: the sector generates employment and gives the economy room to breathe.
Solar photovoltaics is proving to be one of the most promising avenues for finding solutions not only to problems related to climate change and pollution, but also to those of employment and economic growth.
Until 2011–2012, Europe had witnessed fast and substantial growth in solar photovoltaics. In 2008, the sector employed around 250,000 people and generated a GVA of 15,700 million euros. This steady growth came to a halt in the years that followed, but SolarPower believes it will regain momentum from 2018 onwards. By 2021, the sector is estimated to reach 174,700 full-time employees for a value of 9,500 million — an increase of 145 per cent and 105 per cent respectively compared with the values recorded by the two indices in 2016. These are therefore optimistic forecasts that reflect current market conditions, in particular the positive effects of a reduction in the costs of solar photovoltaic systems — which has not yet reached its floor in Europe — alongside an increasingly dynamic growth in demand for clean energy.
In Italy, despite a slowdown — which also affected Spain and Germany and was driven mainly by regulatory obstacles and reduced government support for the sector — in 2016 the number of jobs directly or indirectly linked to solar photovoltaics stood at 11,534. According to SolarPower, by 2021 this figure is set to more than double, reaching 24,683. This push is driven by forecasts for upcoming solar photovoltaic installations, which for Italy are projected to grow by 320 per cent. This means that an acceleration is expected above all in workers employed in the downstream processes of the sector — that is, engineers, installers, maintenance workers and technicians — without excluding investment in upstream labour along the supply chain, which is needed for the manufacturing of components.
