The number of jobs in the solar sector has dropped “disappointingly” since 2015, figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show. They form part of a wider report looking at the low carbon and renewable energy economy (LCREE) in 2018 in the UK. It shows that employment dropped in the solar sector from 9,000 full time employees in 2015 to just 6,600 in 2018. This was mirrored by a drop in turnover too, falling from £2.7 billion to £1.8 billion over the course of the three years. This is largely due to the end of the feed in tariff (FiT), which was announced in 2015 and officially finished in 2019, leading to a drop in solar projects throughout the country. At the time, the government predicted that there would be 18,700 fewer jobs in the industry due to the changes in FiT. Solar Trade Association chief executive Chris Hewett said: “These numbers will come as no surprise to the solar industry as they cover the period from peak deployment of 4GW in 2015 to a trough in 2018. In that time many jobs in installation and development either folded completely or transitioned into operations and maintenance.
Solar Power Portal 16th Jan 2020 read more »