Huge jobs growth seen in Scotland's renewables sector

Jobs in Scotland's renewables sector grew by more than 50% in 2021, according to research.

A study by the Fraser of Allander Institute says the industry supported 42,000 jobs compared with 27,000 the previous year.

Onshore and offshore wind are the biggest drivers but there's also been a marked growth of jobs in home heating.

Scottish Renewables says it demonstrates the growing economic value from harnessing the sector.

Visitors to many of our coastlines won't be surprised to learn that offshore wind has become the most dominant source of jobs.

Big developments have been popping up including Moray East, the Kincardine wind farm and Seagreen off Angus.

It has pushed onshore wind into second place, with the third largest number of jobs now coming from heating our homes through technologies like heat pumps.

The industry body commissioned the research because it says there's no reliable government statistics that reflect the industry's growth.

The findings come with a significant margin of error and so there are calls for more robust official data gathering.

The largest number of roles are in construction, which depends heavily on continued growth of renewables projects.

Claire Mack, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: "The renewable energy industry is the biggest economic opportunity we have in Scotland.

"While our members continue to focus on delivering the projects we will need to meet our climate ambitions, as an industry we want to clearly demonstrate how we are benefiting not only Scotland's but the UK's economies as we transition to a net-zero future."

Output doubled

The report also shows that the renewable energy industry and its supply chain generated more than £10bn of output in 2021.

That's almost double the previous year's figure of £5.6bn.

Future years are expected to see even more considerable growth as the growth of offshore wind explodes.

The most recent leasing round of the seabed from Crown Estates Scotland saw 17 more licences awarded covering 7,000 sq km.

It's projected that will see offshore wind capacity grow from 1.9GW in 2022 to 25GW.

Professor Mairi Spowage, director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, said: "Our latest report shows the significant contribution that renewables make to Scotland's economy.

"These opportunities include the potential for technological development, new export markets and prosperity for rural parts of Scotland that may otherwise be left behind in the transition away from fossil fuels."