ISES Column in pv magazine (January 2026) - Photovoltaics and jobs: Solar PV Sector - The Largest Employer in Renewable Energy Industry
Global renewable energy jobs reached 16.6 million in 2024. The solar photovoltaic sector is the largest employer in the renewable energy industry, accounting for over 7.2 million jobs worldwide. The 2025 edition of the IRENA’s Renewable Energy and Jobs report, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), provides the latest data and estimates of renewable energy employment globally.
In their January pv magazine column, former ISES Board Directors and leaders of the ISES PV Strategy Committee, Prof. Andrew Blakers (ANU) and Prof. Ricardo Rüther (UFSC) highlight the report´s call for stronger public action to build domestic supply chains and advance a more inclusive workforce. 👉 Read the full article at the link!
Meet the authors
Ricardo Rüther
Prof. Dr. Ricardo Rüther studied Metallurgy and Materials Science at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Western Australia. Ricardo Rüther is a Full Professor at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Florianopolis-Brazil, in the field of solar photovoltaics, solar irradiation resource assessment, electrochemical storage and electromobility.
Ricardo served as ISES Vice President from 2022-2024 and is currently part of the fiscal committee of ABENS, the official ISES section in Brazil. In 2019, Ricardo was also awarded the ISES Achievement through Action Award.
Prof. Andrew Blakers
Andrew Blakers is Professor of Engineering at the Australian National University. He was a Humboldt Fellow and has held Australian Research Council QEII and Senior Research Fellowships. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering, the Institute of Energy and the Institute of Physics. He is a Public Policy Fellow at ANU.
Professor Blakers’ primary interest is advanced silicon solar cells - increasing efficiency and reducing cost, including for thin film silicon solar cell technology concentrator solar cells, tandem solar cells and PV components and systems. He is also interested in sustainable energy policy, including detailed analysis of energy systems with high (50-100%) penetration by wind and photovoltaics with support from pumped hydro energy storage. He has extensive experience with basic and applied research, and led the teams that developed PERC and Sliver cell technologies. He also has interest in sustainable energy policy, and is engaged in detailed analysis of energy systems with high (50-100%) penetration by wind and photovoltaics with support from pumped hydro energy storage.
He served as ISES Board Director from 2022-2024.