IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v39y2014icp1155-1163.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Distributional employment impacts of renewable and new energy–A case study of China

Author

Listed:
  • Cai, Wenjia
  • Mu, Yaqian
  • Wang, Can
  • Chen, Jining

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to argue for the necessity and significance of studying the distributional employment impacts of renewable and new energy development (RNE). Based on the comprehensive review of the methodology and conclusions of existing literatures, this paper builds up an extended input–output model to study RNE’s distributional employment impacts on gender and personnel structure. The case study of China׳s power sector in this paper affirmed earlier doubts that RNE development will indeed aggravate the gender inequality problem and add to the level of mismatch between the structure of labor demand and supply, causing structural unemployment problems. The quantitative analysis in this paper outlined here implies that from 2011 to 2020 the development of RNE will bring about 7 million employment gains, but only 81.8% of which can be realized due to the mismatch problem. The study of China may alert other countries to be less-optimistic about RNE’s employment impacts and reaffirm the need to carry out the distributional employment impacts analysis. This paper concludes with policy suggestions such as providing suitable training and equal promotion opportunities for women, offering courses and vocational trainings to RNE-related majors, in order to reduce the structural unemployment problem and further speed up the development of RNE.

Suggested Citation

  • Cai, Wenjia & Mu, Yaqian & Wang, Can & Chen, Jining, 2014. "Distributional employment impacts of renewable and new energy–A case study of China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 1155-1163.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:1155-1163
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.136
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032114005887
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.136?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mun-Heng Toh, 1998. "The RAS Approach in Updating Input-Output Matrices: An Instrumental Variable Interpretation and Analysis of Structural Change," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 63-78.
    2. Kenley, C.R. & Klingler, R.D. & Plowman, C.M. & Soto, R. & Turk, R.J. & Baker, R.L. & Close, S.A. & McDonnell, V.L. & Paul, S.W. & Rabideau, L.R. & Rao, S.S. & Reilly, B.P., 2009. "Job creation due to nuclear power resurgence in the United States," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 4894-4900, November.
    3. Akella, A.K. & Saini, R.P. & Sharma, M.P., 2009. "Social, economical and environmental impacts of renewable energy systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 390-396.
    4. Wang, Can & Zhang, Weishi & Cai, Wenjia & Xie, Xi, 2013. "Employment impacts of CDM projects in China's power sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 481-491.
    5. Tourkolias, C. & Mirasgedis, S., 2011. "Quantification and monetization of employment benefits associated with renewable energy technologies in Greece," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 2876-2886, August.
    6. Moreno, Blanca & López, Ana Jesús, 2008. "The effect of renewable energy on employment. The case of Asturias (Spain)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 732-751, April.
    7. Llera Sastresa, Eva & Usón, Alfonso Aranda & Bribián, Ignacio Zabalza & Scarpellini, Sabina, 2010. "Local impact of renewables on employment: Assessment methodology and case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 679-690, February.
    8. Bureau, Benjamin, 2011. "Distributional effects of a carbon tax on car fuels in France," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 121-130, January.
    9. Lambert, Rosebud Jasmine & Silva, Patrícia Pereira, 2012. "The challenges of determining the employment effects of renewable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 4667-4674.
    10. Blanco, Maria Isabel & Rodrigues, Glória, 2009. "Direct employment in the wind energy sector: An EU study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 2847-2857, August.
    11. Cai, Wenjia & Wang, Can & Chen, Jining & Wang, Siqiang, 2011. "Green economy and green jobs: Myth or reality? The case of China’s power generation sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 5994-6003.
    12. Rausch, Sebastian & Metcalf, Gilbert E. & Reilly, John M., 2011. "Distributional impacts of carbon pricing: A general equilibrium approach with micro-data for households," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(S1), pages 20-33.
    13. Wei, Max & Patadia, Shana & Kammen, Daniel M., 2010. "Putting renewables and energy efficiency to work: How many jobs can the clean energy industry generate in the US?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 919-931, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Xiaoli & Cui, Xueqin & Li, Bo & Hidalgo-Gonzalez, Patricia & Kammen, Daniel M & Zou, Ji & Wang, Ke, 2022. "Immediate actions on coal phaseout enable a just low-carbon transition in China’s power sector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    2. Markandya, Anil & Arto, Iñaki & González-Eguino, Mikel & Román, Maria V., 2016. "Towards a green energy economy? Tracking the employment effects of low-carbon technologies in the European Union," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 1342-1350.
    3. Dvořák, Petr & Martinát, Stanislav & der Horst, Dan Van & Frantál, Bohumil & Turečková, Kamila, 2017. "Renewable energy investment and job creation; a cross-sectoral assessment for the Czech Republic with reference to EU benchmarks," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 360-368.
    4. Hassan, Rakibul & Das, Barun K. & Hasan, Mahmudul, 2022. "Integrated off-grid hybrid renewable energy system optimization based on economic, environmental, and social indicators for sustainable development," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    5. Chen, Yizhong & Lu, Hongwei & Li, Jing & Huang, Guohe & He, Li, 2016. "Regional planning of new-energy systems within multi-period and multi-option contexts: A case study of Fengtai, Beijing, China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 356-372.
    6. Costantini, Valeria & Crespi, Francesco & Paglialunga, Elena, 2018. "The employment impact of private and public actions for energy efficiency: Evidence from European industries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 250-267.
    7. Nasirov, Shahriyar & Girard, Aymeric & Peña, Cristobal & Salazar, Felipe & Simon, François, 2021. "Expansion of renewable energy in Chile: Analysis of the effects on employment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    8. Sharma, A. & Surana, K. & George, M., 2022. "Do clean energy trade duties generate employment benefits?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    9. Satoshi Nakano & Sonoe Arai & Ayu Washizu, 2017. "Economic impacts of Japan’s renewable energy sector and the feed-in tariff system: using an input–output table to analyze a next-generation energy system," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 19(3), pages 555-580, July.
    10. Che, Shuai & Wang, Jun & Chen, Honghang, 2023. "Can China's decentralized energy governance reduce carbon emissions? Evidence from new energy demonstration cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    11. Mu, Yaqian & Cai, Wenjia & Evans, Samuel & Wang, Can & Roland-Holst, David, 2018. "Employment impacts of renewable energy policies in China: A decomposition analysis based on a CGE modeling framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 256-267.
    12. Mu, Yaqian & Wang, Can & Cai, Wenjia, 2018. "The economic impact of China's INDC: Distinguishing the roles of the renewable energy quota and the carbon market," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2955-2966.
    13. Nakano, Satoshi & Arai, Sonoe & Washizu, Ayu, 2018. "Development and application of an inter-regional input-output table for analysis of a next generation energy system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2834-2842.
    14. Banacloche, Santacruz & Gamarra, Ana R. & Lechon, Yolanda & Bustreo, Chiara, 2020. "Socioeconomic and environmental impacts of bringing the sun to earth: A sustainability analysis of a fusion power plant deployment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    15. Li, Mingquan & Patiño-Echeverri, Dalia, 2017. "Estimating benefits and costs of policies proposed in the 13th FYP to improve energy efficiency and reduce air emissions of China's electric power sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 222-234.
    16. Ortega, Margarita & Río, Pablo del & Ruiz, Pablo & Thiel, Christian, 2015. "Employment effects of renewable electricity deployment. A novel methodology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 940-951.
    17. Yuan, Rong & Rodrigues, João F.D. & Tukker, Arnold & Behrens, Paul, 2018. "The impact of the expansion in non-fossil electricity infrastructure on China’s carbon emissions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1994-2008.
    18. Dong, Liang & Liang, Hanwei & Gao, Zhiqiu & Luo, Xiao & Ren, Jingzheng, 2016. "Spatial distribution of China׳s renewable energy industry: Regional features and implications for a harmonious development future," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1521-1531.
    19. Sharif, Arshian & Iqbal Godil, Danish & Xu, Bingjie & Sinha, Avik & Abdul Rehman Khan, Syed & Jermsittiparsert, Kittisak, 2020. "Revisiting the Role of Tourism and Globalization in Environmental Degradation in China: Fresh Insights from the Quantile ARDL Approach," MPRA Paper 101156, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2020.
    20. Bataille, Chris & Melton, Noel, 2017. "Energy efficiency and economic growth: A retrospective CGE analysis for Canada from 2002 to 2012," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 118-130.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cartelle Barros, Juan José & Lara Coira, Manuel & de la Cruz López, María Pilar & del Caño Gochi, Alfredo, 2017. "Comparative analysis of direct employment generated by renewable and non-renewable power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 542-554.
    2. Simas, Moana & Pacca, Sergio, 2014. "Assessing employment in renewable energy technologies: A case study for wind power in Brazil," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 83-90.
    3. Mu, Yaqian & Cai, Wenjia & Evans, Samuel & Wang, Can & Roland-Holst, David, 2018. "Employment impacts of renewable energy policies in China: A decomposition analysis based on a CGE modeling framework," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 256-267.
    4. Dell’Anna, Federico, 2021. "Green jobs and energy efficiency as strategies for economic growth and the reduction of environmental impacts," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    5. Yi, Hongtao, 2014. "Green businesses in a clean energy economy: Analyzing drivers of green business growth in U.S. states," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 922-929.
    6. Dvořák, Petr & Martinát, Stanislav & der Horst, Dan Van & Frantál, Bohumil & Turečková, Kamila, 2017. "Renewable energy investment and job creation; a cross-sectoral assessment for the Czech Republic with reference to EU benchmarks," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 360-368.
    7. Sooriyaarachchi, Thilanka M. & Tsai, I-Tsung & El Khatib, Sameh & Farid, Amro M. & Mezher, Toufic, 2015. "Job creation potentials and skill requirements in, PV, CSP, wind, water-to-energy and energy efficiency value chains," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 653-668.
    8. Omri, Emna & Chtourou, Nouri & Bazin, Damien, 2015. "Solar thermal energy for sustainable development in Tunisia: The case of the PROSOL project," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1312-1323.
    9. Hondo, Hiroki & Moriizumi, Yue, 2017. "Employment creation potential of renewable power generation technologies: A life cycle approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 128-136.
    10. Arvanitopoulos, T. & Agnolucci, P., 2020. "The long-term effect of renewable electricity on employment in the United Kingdom," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    11. Llera, E. & Scarpellini, S. & Aranda, A. & Zabalza, I., 2013. "Forecasting job creation from renewable energy deployment through a value-chain approach," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 262-271.
    12. Yang, Dewei & Liu, Dandan & Huang, Anmin & Lin, Jianyi & Xu, Lingxing, 2021. "Critical transformation pathways and socio-environmental benefits of energy substitution using a LEAP scenario modeling," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    13. Oliveira, C. & Coelho, D. & Pereira da Silva, P. & Antunes, C.H., 2013. "How many jobs can the RES-E sectors generate in the Portuguese context?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 444-455.
    14. Cameron, Lachlan & van der Zwaan, Bob, 2015. "Employment factors for wind and solar energy technologies: A literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 160-172.
    15. Sharma, Anjali & Banerjee, Rangan, 2021. "Framework to analyze the spatial distribution of the labor impacts of clean energy transitions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    16. Luigi Aldieri & Jonas Grafström & Kristoffer Sundström & Concetto Paolo Vinci, 2019. "Wind Power and Job Creation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, December.
    17. Costantini, Valeria & Crespi, Francesco & Paglialunga, Elena, 2018. "The employment impact of private and public actions for energy efficiency: Evidence from European industries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 250-267.
    18. Raitano, Michele & Romano, Eleonora & Zoppoli, Pietro, 2017. "Renewable energy sources in Italy: Sectorial intensity and effects on earnings," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 117-127.
    19. Luigi Aldieri & Jonas Grafström & Concetto Paolo Vinci, 2021. "The Effect of Marshallian and Jacobian Knowledge Spillovers on Jobs in the Solar, Wind and Energy Efficiency Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-16, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:1155-1163. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.