Renewable energy has emerged as the most competitive form of power generation in the Gulf region in the last five years. The sector is likely to generate more than 207,000 jobs in the GCC by 2030 with solar technologies accounting for 89 per cent of them, says a 2019 report by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The proliferation of rooftop solutions alone could employ 23,000 people by 2030 in the region, says the global energy agency.

Solar careers in 2030 will also include 124,000 solar PV jobs and 50,000 concentrated solar power (CSP) jobs. With the reduced cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, the GCC will have 40GW of utility-scale PV projects.

IRENA’s data shows, 45 percent of the jobs in the solar sector will be generated in UAE, followed by 33 percent in Saudi Arabia, 10 percent in Kuwait, seven percent in Oman, four percent in Qatar and one percent in Bahrain.

GCC solar jobs piechart – IRENA

“If the region were to progress toward its renewable energy targets, this could create an average of 135 000 direct jobs every year. In 2030, jobs could reach 220 500. Most of these jobs would be concentrated in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, given their significant
deployment plans,” said the report.

“Together, solar technologies – including CSP and solar PV (small and large) – would account for 89 percent of the renewable energy jobs expected in 2030. The deployment of around 40 GW of utility-scale solar PV across the region could result in around 124 000 jobs – more than any other renewable technology.

“Small-scale rooftop solar projects, which tend to be particularly human-resource intensive, could create 23 000 jobs. Most rooftop solar jobs would be in the UAE and Oman, given their focus on rooftop generation. The construction, operation and maintenance (O&M)
and manufacturing of CSP projects could account for 50 000 jobs,” added the report.

Read: Renewables are booming, but not fast enough to cap greenhouse emissions

Hosting 65 percent of the GCC’s solar PV installed capacity, UAE is leading global solar power innovation, said IRENA. Large-scale solar PV projects have featured
record-low bids.  The Emirates Water and Electricity Company’s Noor Abu Dhabi recently became the world’s largest single operational solar power plant at 1.18GW, and the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s 5GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is among the world’s largest single-site solar parks.

The IRENA’s statement comes ahead of the Solar Expo & Forum, a leading solar marketplace, set to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in January 2020.