Energy skills gap crosses borders, seas

February 12, 2016 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

India is experiencing many of the same issues as the United States when it comes to energy -- specifically, the lack of a skilled workforce.

Jantar Mantar, Delhi. Credit: Divya Gautam/Wikimedia Commons

India's goal to dramatically expand solar energy could trigger a green jobs boom -- adding one million new engineers, technicians, solar installers, maintenance workers and performance data monitors to its workforce, according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, which outlines the types of new jobs, training facilities and institutes needed for India to reach its ambitious national target to add 100 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar energy by 2022.

New jobs that would be needed include up to 210,800 skilled plant design and site engineers; 624,600 semi-skilled technicians for construction of solar projects; and 182,400 workers in various low-skilled jobs such as ongoing operations and maintenance for both rooftop solar and utility-scale solar projects, the report says.

The report, Filling the Skill Gap in India's Clean Energy Market: Solar Energy Focus, provides details about how India's 100 GW solar target would generate more than 1 million jobs by 2022, primarily in two key phases of a solar project's lifecycle: construction and commissioning (806,800, accounting for 72 percent of new solar jobs) and ongoing operations and maintenance (263,400, 23 percent of new solar jobs). These projections do not include jobs created in the manufacturing sector -- another significant jobs opportunity.

"India has a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate how a growing economy can scale up green energy -- creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and boosting renewable power -- and protect our climate while meeting rising energy demands," said Nehmat Kaur, NRDC India representative. "This comprehensive assessment of the variety of jobs, skills and training that is needed as India expands its solar industry will help realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to transition to a low-carbon economy."

The report's findings come on the heels of Modi's announcement in December at the Paris climate talks that India was launching an International Solar Alliance (ISA). The alliance of more than 120 solar-rich countries aims to facilitate widespread deployment of solar power and supporting knowledge exchange on manufacturing and skills.

The India-led alliance has already met twice, demonstrating the momentum India is building to reach its climate commitments. In addition to India's solar leadership, the prime minister is inaugurating the "Make in India" conference in Mumbai this weekend to boost renewable energy and national manufacturing capabilities.

For more:
- see the report

http://www.smartgridnews.com/story/energy-skills-gap-crosses-borders-seas/2016-02-12