Wind powered Covid recovery could bring key emerging nations 2.2m jobs: GWEC
Report in collaboration with BVG Associates finds nearly 20GW in new wind capacity could be added through 2026 in Brazil, India, Mexico, the Philippines and South Africa
A green recovery fuelled by wind power could add nearly 20GW in additional capacity and 2.2m new energy jobs to five key emerging economies, according to a new study by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) in collaboration with BVG Associates.
Five case studies look into a series of impacts from public policy shifts towards the clean energy transition to speed up deployment of wind projects over the next five years. The green recovery strategy would both support countries towards meeting energy and climate goals and reap socio-economic benefits from long-term job creation to cleaner air and water conservation.
“Our work with GWEC shows how wind energy can deliver a green economic recovery and cheap energy,” BVG associate director Mike Blanch said.
“The report includes recommendations on how to strengthen policy, transmission and permitting to create jobs and establish local supply chains.”
The report concludes that 2.23m full-time job equivalent jobs could be created over a 25-year lifetime of wind projects that supply enough energy to power about 25 million home each year from 2026 onward, and potentially save the equivalent of 714m metric tons of CO2 emissions over wind farm lifetimes.
(Copyright)<b>Case studies in the report</b>
Brazil could create an extra 575,000 jobs over wind farm lifetimes if it opted for a green recovery over a business as usual approach. The country could add billions of gross value to the economy and power millions more homes with clean energy using this approach - all while seeing a more than 40% reduction in carbon emissions over that time.
India could save an extra 229 million metric tons of CO2e over the lifetime of a wind farm - around 25 years - while also creating more than a million green jobs.
Mexico could more than double its projected carbon emissions equivalent saved by replacing fossil fuel generation if it pursued a green recovery approach for wind energy. This could be transformative, generating nearly one-quarter of a million new jobs and adding $3.5 billion in gross value to the economy, over a wind farms lifetime.
In South Africa the coal to clean journey – kick-started with an $8.5bn financing package agreed at COP26 - could deliver an extra 250,000 jobs and more than $10bn gross value added to the economy over 25 years if an ambitious green recovery is pursued. This would also deliver enormous decreases in carbon emissions equivalent, as well as save more than 50 million litres of water annually from 2026.
The Philippines could see more than $1.1bn of gross value added to the economy, with more than 1.65GW wind installations completed under a more ambitious approach. Those installations would support a 70% increase in jobs as well as saving more than 65 million metric tons of carbon emissions equivalent.