TEHRAN (Iran News) – New investment, as part of the transition to a sustainable energy future would increase renewables jobs to 42 million globally by 2050, four times more than today, data obtained by Anadolu Agency from International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) recent report revealed Wednesday

According to the IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook: Energy transformation 2050 report, energy jobs overall will reach 100 million by 2050, about 40 million more than today.

The transition will also help support environmental and health benefits, and broad improvements in people’s welfare will be felt in every region of the world, the report showed.

According to IRENA, a successful transition is dependent on appropriate education and capacity building policies from which a new workforce will be able to install, operate, and maintain the projected renewable energy capacities.

In 2050, energy efficiency could employ 21.3 million people with the possibility of 14.5 million people working in jobs related to power grids and energy flexibility by 2050, the agency predicted.

However, IRENA stated that although the agency’s future scenario would lead to an overall increase in energy sector employment, jobs would be lost in some sub-sectors, namely those related to fossil fuels.

– IRENA’s pathway to 2050

According to the report, significant acceleration is needed across a range of sectors and technologies to include deeper electrification of end-use sectors with higher shares of renewables.

“Looking at the regional findings, some trends can be identified. In terms of energy demand growth, while energy use does not increase in Europe, the MENA region and
North America and other regions see some growth,” IRENA stated.

According to the report, the highest shares of renewable energy in total primary energy supply in 2030 will be reached by Latin America and the Caribbean, at 53%, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa at 43%.

“The EU would be at 31%. In contrast, the MENA region would have the lowest share of just 9%.”

However, IRENA suggests that by 2050 regional developments will be different, with the highest shares of renewables in total primary energy supply (TPES) reached in Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania, at levels above 80%, followed by Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the EU above 70%. Similar to 2030, the MENA region will still have the lowest share at just 26% in 2050.