The solar sector saw employment fall from 9,900 full-time equivalent (FTE) in 2015 to 6,600 in 2018, according to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Turnover in the sector fell from £2.7 billion in 2015 to £1.8 billion in 2018, it said, suggesting the fall was due to the reduction or removal of feed-in tariffs since early 2016.
However, despute the fall in solar installation, employment across the low carbon and renewable energy sector rose from 200,800 FTE in 2015 to 224,800 in 2018, the ONS said. In total the sector generated £46.7 billion in turnover in 2018. That accounted for around 1% of total UK non-financial turnover and employment, consistent with the period from 2015 to 2017. However England had fallen short in addressing the opportunity: ONS said turnover was slightly higher for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland than for England and for the UK as a whole. Turnover across the sector was £40.4 billion (not adjusted for inflation) in 2015.
Energy efficiency – including activities like manufacturing efficient windows and doors, but not energy efficienct lighting – was by far the biggest contributor to the green sector in 2018. It accounted for 36% (£16.7 billion) of the sector’s turnover and 51% of employment (114,400 full-time equivalent). That comes as imaging systems supplier FLIR Systems estimated that UK homeowners waste £363 per household during the winter period. Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian properties see winter energy bills 43% higher than for properties built after the 1960s. Poorly insulated walls are the biggest culprits of energy loss, where 36% of heat is wasted. YouGov research found only 5% of UK homeowners have had a home energy assessment and only 7% have bought an energy monitor. Less than a third have insulated the walls or loft space and just over a quarter have blocked drafts.
Around a third of emplyment (83,600 in 2018) was in the manufacturing sector, including manufacturing in connection with low-emission vehicles. According to Go Ultra Low, the total number of new 100% electric and plug-in hybrid cars registered last year at 72,834, making 2019 the most successful year for electric cars to date. It said that equates to one new electric car registration every seven minutes in the UK and the market grew by 21% compared to 2018. Some 24,722 plug-in cars registered between October and December in 2019. For the first time, fully electric cars accounted for more than half of the plug-in market, with 52% of sales.
This takes the number of 100% electric and plug-in hybrid cars registered in the UK to date to 271,524 and there are now over 29,000 public charging connectors in the UK, said Go Ultra Low, a collaborative campaign and is the first of its kind, bringing together the government, motor industry, and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The ONS figures came from its annual survey which received responses from 81% of the 24,118 businesses surveyed. Of these, 2,572 businesses were operating in the low carbon and energy efficiency sectors.
Read the ONS report here