Renewable energy creates up to ten times more jobs than similar sized fossil fuel ventures, a new study by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) shows.

The research by UKERC’s Technology and Policy Assessment team, looked at job growth in the UK, USA and China since 2000 and found that electricity from coal and gas creates 0.1-0.2 gross jobs per gigawatt-hour generated electricity from wind creates 0.05-0.5 gross job per gigawatt-hour generated.

The research also showed that renewable energy and energy efficiency create up to 1 job per gigawatt-hour more than fossil fuels and when the economy is under performing, such as during a recession, it is sensible to focus government expenditure on these labour-intensive sectors.

Dr. Will Blythe from Oxford Energy Associates who lead the two-year research project, said: “Government-led investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency can offer short-term benefits, helping the economy to grow in times of recession by promoting employment,”

“When the economy is starting to recover – such as now – the key challenge for government policy is to encourage an economically efficient transition towards the country’s strategic goals – such as tackling climate change. Here there is a strong case for investment in renewable technologies and efficiency measures as part of the transformational change to a low carbon energy system,” he adds.

The UKERC said that ‘green jobs’ is not a useful prism through which to view the wider benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency investment. The government must  look beyond short-term benefits and consider the crucial role renewable energy and energy efficiency have in reshaping the economy as part of a broader industrial and environmental strategy.

Dr Rob Gross, from Imperial College London, one of the authors of the report, said: “The green jobs debate has always been vexed – often because it has been argued between vested interests and because analysis is too short-term or provides an incomplete picture. Our report helps explain the issues and shows that, in principle, investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency can create jobs. However, the issues are complex and simplistic conclusions are best avoided,” said Dr Rob Gross, from Imperial College London, one of the authors of the report.

“Ultimately, it is more helpful to think about jobs in terms of long-term goals and the major challenges we all face, like tackling climate change. This is why it’s important that we think through these issues and the kind of future we want,” he adds.