There are 9.8 Million Green Jobs Around the World

9.8 million people were employed by the renewable energy industry during 2016 according to the Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017 report issued by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

But not all types of renewable energy are growing at the same rate. Roughly 1.5 million sustainable energy jobs are in large hydropower plants, which did not see any significant growth over the last year. Instead, other renewable energy sources such as solar (3.1 million jobs) and wind (1.2 million jobs) grew considerably – doubling the number of jobs from four years ago.

The largest creation of these jobs was in Asia -- China saw a 3.4% improvement alone, now employing 3.64 million people. Africa also made great strides forward, with small scale developments proving particularly useful in helping to develop sustainable energy in regions that have never had the infrastructure for a utility provider before.
Domestically, the explosion is even more dramatic. Solar-energy jobs in the United States are growing faster than the United States economy.

According to another new report, published by the Environmental Defense Fund's (EDF) Climate Corps program, wind turbine technician is the fastest growing job in the country.
The same EDF report has fossil-fuel jobs in 2016 decreased 4.5% from 2015, as more and more people opt for green sources of energy. Solar energy use, for instance, replaces 75 million barrels of oil annually.

The two predominant causes of this surge are the increased affordability and a greater effort to create policies that removed barriers for green energy across the globe. The cost of producing solar panels, for instance, dropped 72% from 2010 to 2015. This has enabled a much higher amount of energy generated by solar means, growing from 876 megawatts in 2010 to 10,727.
One of the more interesting figures to come out of these surveys is that 70% green energy jobs are with companies that employ 10 or fewer people. The implication is that most energy efficiency companies tend to serve a more local client base.

But whether or not customers have access to greener technology is still largely determined by whether or not they live in one of the deregulated energy states. Those that do have a much broader choice of where they get their energy, and what types of renewable energy they would like to utilize. If they don't live in a state with energy deregulation, they likely have many fewer choices.
Still, it looks like all types of renewable energy jobs will continue to grow in the United States, with solar power being poised for the most growth.