Over 12,000 jobs lost in UK solar industry following government cuts, says report
Over 12,000 jobs in the UK solar power industry have been lost in the last year following cuts to government subsidies, according to an industry survey.
The report, compiled by PwC on behalf of the Solar Trade Association (STA), also found that four in ten companies were planning to exit the solar power sector entirely.
Last year, the UK government announced it was cutting subsidies for solar power projects, which were funded via a levy on energy bills.
A spokesperson for the STA said: “The survey shows very regrettable damage to the fabric of the British solar industry and the need for prompt government action.”
The survey of 238 companies was carried out shortly before the UK voted to leave the EU, which PwC expects will have significant further implications for the solar industry.
In May this year, solar power in the UK generated more electricity than coal, the first time this has happened in a single month.
Nico Pestel has written about the employment effects of green energy policies for IZA World of Labor. Noting that green energy can create new jobs while also “crowding out” employment in other sectors, he argues that: “Neither the proponents nor the opponents of green energy policies should put forward job creation or destruction as an argument in the energy policy debate”.
The PwC report, Seeing Through The Gloom, can be downloaded here.
Related articles:
Employment effects of green energy policies by Nico Pestel
Impacts of regulation on eco-innovation and job creation by Jens Horbach
Environmental regulations and business decisions by Wayne B. Gray
Find more IZA World of Labor articles about the environment