The Future of Renewable Energy
09 Dec 2025
Renewables are the future of energy generation worldwide, as all countries pursue a sustainable carbon-neutral approach to national infrastructure.
This drive towards a renewable energy future holds huge opportunities for jobs in the energy sector, both during the transition period and in the years that follow.
Jobs in renewable energy span the spectrum from on-site civil, mechanical and electrical engineering careers, to back-office support, IT and clerical roles.
Introduction to renewable energy
Renewable energy jobs are an increasing share of total employment in the energy sector. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the number of energy-sector jobs worldwide grew by 3.8% in 2023, compared with just 2.2% across all sectors.
But jobs in clean energy grew by an even greater 4.6% with more than 500,000 new jobs in solar, and 270,000 positions in other green energy disciplines.
"Clean power represented the largest single source of growth in energy employment in 2023, accounting for 40% of the increase in clean energy jobs," the IEA said in its November 2024 report.
Yet high levels of demand put pressure on supply - in this case, the supply of skilled workers, leading to a shortage of available talent to fill this rapidly rising number of available positions.
The current state of renewable energy
Renewable energy generation has grown exponentially in recent years. Statista reports that since 2010, cumulative renewable energy capacity increased from 1.2 terawatts to 3.9 terawatts in 2023, more than tripling in size.
This gives renewable energy a 30% share of global energy generation, which is expected to continue to increase during the coming decades.
In a separate forecast, Statista predicts that total global energy generation will be as much as 50% higher in 2050 than it is today, and that renewables will be the largest source of that energy with at least a 50% market share.
Significant financial investments are being made to grow generation capacity. From about $260 billion in 2014, global investment reached $620 billion in 2023, including an 8% increase in the last year.
What is shaping the future of renewable energy
The mission to establish a renewable energy future is based around several core technologies including solar, wind, hydro and geothermal generation. Each has its own advantages, as well as challenges like how to store energy at peak times, so that it can be used later.
Solar power
Solar power is growing rapidly, driven by incentives for farmers to place photovoltaic arrays on rural land, as well as rules requiring solar panels to be installed on new-build properties.
Our World in Data reported that in 2023, total worldwide solar energy generation stood at 1,630 terawatt hours (TWh), making it the third-largest renewable energy source globally.
Wind power
Wind power is the second-largest source of renewable energy globally, with production at about 2,300 TWh in 2023.
Turbine farms can be installed in offshore locations as well as onshore, vastly increasing the potential for future capacity. Offshore wind farms present unique challenges due to the marine working environment, but have the benefit that they do not occupy habitable land.
Hydropower
Hydroelectric power is relatively well established worldwide, with capacity at over 4,200 TWh in 2023. This makes it the largest renewable energy source by a margin of more than 80% over wind, and nearly 160% over solar.
A more mature hydro segment means there is perhaps less opportunity to grow the technology in the future of energy generation - many of the best candidate sites have already been developed - but as long as rivers continue to flow, hydro will make a significant contribution to green energy capacity.
Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is a relatively niche technology. Our World in Data groups it with other minor renewable sources like wave, tidal and bioenergy, with total global capacity at about 770 TWh.
The cumulative installed capacity of geothermal energy worldwide stood at nearly 15 GW in 2023, up by 79% since 2000. However, this capacity may grow faster as small on-site technologies like ground source heat pumps become more commonplace, harnessing geothermal energy for immediate use.
What challenges do we face in renewable energy
The momentum is clearly behind renewable power as the future of energy generation, but there are still some challenges to overcome, many of which add to the opportunities for employment in the sector.
For example, the growing demand for energy capacity as a whole means that renewable generation must be ramped up even more, both to serve this increased demand and to grow green energy's share of existing generating capacity.
We're also seeing a wide range of different types of infrastructure and installations. That not only means the type of generation used (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal etc) but also the size of the installation, with more large-scale energy farms, but also 'individual' installations like ground source heat pumps, domestic rooftop PV and on-site wind turbines.
Barriers to renewable energy growth
Some of the barriers to renewable energy growth fall into several main categories:
· Technological: How can we make more efficient solar panels and wind turbines? How can we store energy until it is needed (e.g. store solar power for use at night)?
· Economic: How can countries, especially developing countries, cover the costs of installing vast renewable energy generating capacity?
· Regulatory: How do we balance the need to construct energy infrastructure with concerns about the environment, constructing in rural areas and other regulatory restrictions?
As mentioned above, a shortage of skilled individuals in the sector is also a concern. That's why it's important to work with agencies like First Recruitment Group to find talented and experienced applicants for specialised roles.
What career opportunities are there in renewable energy?
Despite some of the challenges mentioned above, there are very bright prospects for a renewable energy future, and for careers in green energy.
As a sector with government backing, investments in clean energy benefit from incentive schemes, R&D credits, grants and other funding. Regulatory pressures are also being eased by governments worldwide in an effort to make it easier for private businesses to install renewable energy generation where it might previously not have been allowed.
Employment in renewable energy worldwide
Globally in 2023, an estimated 13.7 million people worked in the renewable energy industry, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The largest segment in terms of employment is solar. Despite ranking third in terms of installed capacity, photovoltaic electricity generation employs about 5 million people, while another 710,000 work in solar heating and cooling.
In contrast, hydropower - the renewable energy type with the greatest installed capacity - employs half as many people, with about 2.5 million positions worldwide.
But with all types of renewable energy seeing an increase in capacity over time, even relatively saturated disciplines like hydro will have more demand for employees, creating further opportunities to train for roles across hydro, wind, solar and geothermal.
The renewable energy sector has grown massively since 2010 (and before), with technologies like hydropower further along the route to maturity, penetration and saturation, while others like solar and wind are still seeing substantial growth in new infrastructure.
Supporting technologies like battery storage and long-distance transmission of power are helping to make remote and time-specific generation more sustainable. Offshore wind farms can transmit power over long distances to shore, and solar panels can generate electricity in the daytime, to be used at night.
By 2050, if not before, it's likely that over half of all electricity consumed worldwide will be generated from renewable sources. That makes careers in renewable energy a significant prospect for anyone embarking on their personal employment path in the years ahead.
Talent, skills and renewable energy recruitment
With an ever-changing landscape and high demand for talented individuals, it's more important than ever for the right candidates to find the right vacancies in renewable energy.
First Recruitment Group's consultants are here to help. Our in-depth understanding of the green energy sector means we can help candidates to identify training opportunities and apply for work in the segments with the greatest level of demand.
