Future skills and job creation through renewable energy in Turkey. Assessing the co-benefits of decarbonising the power sector

This study examines how increased deployment of renewable energy in Turkey can provide co-benefits for job creation and meeting future skills requirements. The research is carried out in the context of the COBENEFITS project, which assesses a range of additional co-benefits of renewable energy in developing countries, besides reducing energy sector greenhouse gas emissions, when compared to conventional energy systems. The study also provides initial insights on the estimated occupational distribution, thus predicting the changes and employment opportunities available to Turkey in its solar and wind sectors. The study methodology focused firstly on defining value chains for the solar and wind energy sectors in Turkey. This was done using licence and pre-licence information from the Energy Market Regulatory Authority and a unique administrative micro dataset (EIS) that includes all registered firms in Turkey and their employees registered with the Social Security Institution (SGK). Secondly, coefficients for the current ratio of employment per megawatt (MW) in the solar and wind sectors were calculated. Finally, projections of employment increases and skills requirements were estimated according to four scenarios for increased renewable energy (RE) capacity. The results show that increased employment is possible through renewables.