QAZAQ GREEN. In January, the International Renewable Energy Agency released a report on the impact of renewable energy development on global employment. The latest available data cover 2024. According to the report, the renewable energy sector provided jobs for 16.6 million people worldwide by the end of that year. Compared with 2019, employment in the global green energy industry increased by 44.9%, driven primarily by rapid growth in solar power. Over several years, the number of people employed in the solar sector rose from 3.8 million to 7.2 million, Energyprom reports.
Nearly half of all renewable energy workers globally are employed in China, where the sector is expanding rapidly. The country accounted for 7.3 million jobs, or 43.9% of the global total. In India, renewable energy facilities employ about 1.3 million people, or 7.7%. The rest of Asia accounts for a combined share of 14.9%. Employment is also significant in the European Union, where about 1.8 million people work in the sector, representing 10.8% of global renewable energy jobs.
Kazakhstan was not mentioned in the IRENA report, largely because employment in the country’s renewable energy sector remains relatively small compared with major economies and global regions. According to data from the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan, about 2,100 people were employed at renewable energy facilities in the country as of July last year. This figure excludes workers at large hydropower plants. Compared with early 2020, the number has doubled.
Despite the overall growth, employment trends vary across different types of renewable energy facilities. In the small hydropower segment (plants with capacity of up to 35 kW), employment nearly halved over the period, falling from 1,400 to 640 people. About the same number of workers—674—were employed by companies installing and operating solar panels, with little change in recent years. The largest number of jobs in the renewable energy sector is in wind power, where 746 people are employed.
The figures for renewable energy facilities represent only part of the country’s green employment. Green jobs include positions in organizations that contribute to environmental protection or restoration. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, Kazakhstan had about 48,800 such jobs in 2024.
The doubling of employment at renewable energy facilities in recent years is largely the result of quantitative growth. The number of renewable energy enterprises in the country has been increasing annually, requiring additional operational staff. As a result, the share of renewable energy in Kazakhstan’s power generation mix is also rising. According to the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, renewable sources accounted for 7% of electricity generation last year—an increase of 4.2 percentage points compared with 2020.
By the end of last year, Kazakhstan had 162 renewable energy facilities in operation, including nine commissioned in 2025. Key regions for renewable energy development include the Karaganda, Aktobe, Mangystau, Ulytau and Zhetysu regions.
This year, the Ministry of Energy plans to commission ten additional renewable energy facilities—four wind farms, five solar plants and one hydropower station—with a combined capacity of 245 MW.
Official data also indicate steady growth in both installed capacity and electricity generation from renewable energy sources. Installed capacity has increased from 1.6 GW in 2020 to 3.5 GW, reflecting the large-scale rollout of green energy projects.
Electricity generation from renewable sources has also expanded, rising from 3.2 billion kWh in 2020 to 8.6 billion kWh by 2025. Annual growth has been generally stable, although with minor fluctuations due to the phased commissioning of new projects and seasonal variations in generation.
In 2025, generation increased by 13.6%, mainly driven by new wind power capacity. Output from wind farms rose by 19.2% to 5.4 billion kWh, while solar generation grew more modestly, by 8.1%. According to the Ministry of Energy, renewable energy generation is expected to reach 8.8 billion kWh this year if all planned projects are completed on schedule.
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