Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-10-09 Origin: Site
Europe’s solar and battery storage industries supported a combined 982,000 jobs in 2025, according to the 2026 EU Solar Jobs Report published by SolarPower Europe on October 7, 2026.
Solar accounted for 874,000 jobs, while battery energy storage added another 108,000. Solar employment grew by 1% in 2025, twice the EU’s overall employment growth rate of 0.5%.
Solar installation and deployment activities accounted for approximately 85% of solar jobs. For the first time in the report series, utility-scale solar slightly surpassed rooftop solar, representing 50.2% of total solar employment.
Germany remained the EU’s largest solar employment market, with around 165,000 jobs, followed by Spain and Italy, which recorded approximately 85,000 solar jobs. Together, the three countries accounted for nearly half of the EU’s solar workforce.
Meanwhile, the battery storage sector has expanded rapidly. EU battery storage capacity grew twelvefold over four years to approximately 80 GWh, supporting employment across manufacturing, installation, operations, maintenance and recycling.
Despite continued job growth, SolarPower Europe warned that solar employment could decline by 2030 if deployment slows, investment remains weak and productivity gains reduce labor demand.
Increasing renewable energy curtailment, more frequent negative electricity prices and insufficient flexibility solutions are also creating challenges for the sector.
The report calls for stronger investment in workforce training, apprenticeships and reskilling, alongside faster electrification and battery storage deployment. These measures will be important to sustaining employment and supporting Europe’s long-term renewable energy ambitions.
