Global energy employment rises above pre-Covid levels.

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Whats coming up:

• Global energy employment rises above pre-Covid levels.

• Clean Meme - Blew.

• Wave energy machines on the Australian south coast would slash renewable energy costs.

• Fascinating Fact - How much of Icelands energy is renewable?

• Quick & Clean weekly bites.

Global energy employment rises above pre-Covid levels.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has provided the first-ever assessment of energy jobs worldwide by region and technology, offering vital analysis in the context of the global energy crisis, and clean energy transitions.

Global employment in the energy sector has risen above its pre-pandemic levels, led by increased hiring in clean energy, according to a new IEA report that offers the first worldwide benchmark for employment across energy industries.

The amount of energy jobs worldwide has recovered from disruptions due to Covid-19, increasing above its pre-pandemic level of over 65 million people, or around 2% of the total labour force. The growth has been driven by hiring in clean energy sectors. The oil and gas sector, meanwhile, saw some of the largest declines in employment at the start of the pandemic and has yet to fully recover.

With the recent rebound, clean energy surpassed the 50% mark for its share of total energy employment, with nearly two-thirds of workers involved in building new projects and manufacturing clean energy technologies.

Meme of the week.

Wave energy machines on the Australian south coast would slash renewable energy costs.

Deploying wave energy machines at a handful of locations on Australia’s south coast would make a future clean electricity grid more stable, and more reliable and would dramatically cut the costs of buying batteries to store renewable energy, according to a new Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) report.

The report was commissioned by Wave Swell Energy, an Australian-based company, that has just finished a 12-month trial of its pilot plant on a beach at King Island, north of Tasmania.

However, the company’s chief executive (Paul Geason) said while there was an impending boom in demand for wave energy plants, his company was looking to Europe and the US for contracts where policies and markets were more supportive.

Fascinating Fact.

Iceland began switching to renewable energy in the 1960s, and today runs on 85% renewable energy.

Quick & Clean weekly bites.

• Wind turbines are being given a truly sweet second life thanks to a new discovery from engineers in the US. They have invented a new type of resin, the material that coats the turbine blades, that could be reused to make countertops, nappies, and even gummy bears.  Link

• French citizens are being encouraged to trade in their cars for electric bikes. A maximum of €4,000 is available to low-income households in low-emission zones to subsidise the switch. Link

• One day cargo ships could be powered by ‘artificial leaves’ floating out at sea. University of Cambridge Researchers have designed lightweight, flexible devices that use solar technology to convert light into fuel. Link