For the past two years, the energy sector has been experiencing a major evolution with the energy transition progress in France and around the world. Since 2014, companies have made major investments in renewable energies.
Benoît Hamon, a French politician, boasted the impact of renewable energies on employment: “This energy transition will generate many jobs. Where renewable energy is used, six times more jobs are made than with conventional or nuclear power generation”, added the former Minister for Social and Solidarity Economy.
The biogas sector was lagging behind until 2016 due to a lack of a sufficient incentive and stable policy for industrialists and operators. Since the beginning of 2017, the renewable energy sector has been growing in terms of projects and jobs. More actors are becoming competitive in terms of design, construction and operation of biogas sites, requiring strong skills.
According to an ADEME study, in 2014, the French methanisation sector had more than 2,000 direct jobs in France, nearly one third of which were operating and production sites. The French government has an ambitious target: to multiply this number by three by 2020. For ADEME researchers, the ecological and energy transition could create between 830 000 and 900 000 jobs by 2050.
Article by: Marjolaine
Read more about the worldwide job increase in the renewable energy sector here.
Sources: Biogas World, IRENA: Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2017, IRENA: Renewable Energy Employs 9.8 million People Worldwide, New IRENA Report Finds , Bioénergie International: Les perspectives d’emploi en France dans la filière biogaz (french only), Environmental and Energy Study Institute: Fact Sheet: Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2017)