Renewable energies already provide more than 380,000 jobs in Germany

The boom in renewable energies continues to create new jobs in Germany. According to a recently published study commissioned by the Federal Environment Ministry, the development and production of renewable energy technologies and the supply of electricity, heat and fuel from renewable sources provided around 382,000 jobs in 2011. This is an increase of around four percent compared to the previous year and more than double the 2004 figure. Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen stated "current employment figures show that the transformation of our energy system is creating entirely new opportunities on the job market. It is the major project for the future for German industry. This opens up technological and economic opportunities in terms of Germany’s competitiveness as an exporter and location to do business."

According to the study, about 280,000 jobs - around 75 percent of the employment figures calculated for 2011 - can be directly attributed to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). The largest share of jobs in the field of renewables can be found in sectors directly or indirectly linked with solar energy, with a total of 125,000 employees last year. Approximately 111,000 of these in the photovoltaics sector. This is followed by the biomass sector with around 124,000 employees and wind power with more than 100,000.

The figures now published are the findings of a research project supported by the Federal Environment Ministry and carried out by the Institute of Economic Structures Research (GWS, Osnabrück, project management), the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW, Berlin), the German Aerospace Center (DLR, Stuttgart, Department Systems Analysis) and the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW, Stuttgart).

The complete report (in German only) on gross employment in the renewable energy sector in 2011 is available for download from the Federal Environment Ministry's website at