The solar energy and battery storage sectors in Europe supported 982,000 jobs in 2025 , according to SolarPower Europe 's new EU Solar Jobs Report 2026 .
The European Union's solar energy sector generated 874,000 jobs , while battery storage contributed another 108,000 . Together, these two industries now employ nearly one million people, reflecting the scale of employment associated with the European energy transition.
Despite a complex market environment, solar employment continued to grow throughout 2025. While total employment in the European Union increased by 0.5% , the solar sector saw an expansion of 1% , twice the rate of the overall economy.
Furthermore, solar energy employment exceeded previous forecasts after the European Union reached 69 GW of new photovoltaic installations in 2025 , above the expectations previously held by the market.
For the first time, the EU Solar Jobs Report 2026 also expanded its scope to include a specific assessment of employment related to battery storage .
The report concludes that this activity already supports 108,000 jobs in areas such as manufacturing, project deployment, operation and maintenance, and end-of-life activities for systems.
This growth accompanies the rapid expansion of the European battery market. In the last four years, the European Union's storage fleet has increased twelvefold , reaching approximately 80 GWh .
As batteries become more relevant in providing flexibility, resilience and integration of renewable energy , storage is beginning to consolidate itself as a significant source of employment within the energy sector, alongside solar energy.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe , noted: “This report shows how much is at stake. Nearly one million people currently work in the solar and storage sectors in Europe: on rooftops, construction sites, engineering teams, control rooms, and throughout the entire supply chain. It’s something to celebrate, but not something we should take for granted.”
He added: “If deployment slows and flexibility-related challenges remain unresolved, Europe risks weakening not only a key source of energy security and resilience, but also the important job creation potential of solar energy.”
The deployment accounts for 85% of solar employment
The installation and deployment of projects continued to be the backbone of the European solar workforce and accounted for around 85% of all jobs in the sector in 2025 .
At the same time, jobs related to operation and maintenance increased, in parallel with the growth of the solar park installed in Europe.
Manufacturing, on the other hand, went through another complex year as a result of factory closures, global overcapacity and intense international competition .
The report also identifies a significant shift in the composition of employment. For the first time since the EU Solar Jobs Report series began, jobs associated with large-scale solar energy slightly surpassed those in the rooftop installation segment .
Utility-scale projects accounted for slightly more than half of all solar jobs during 2025, a development that highlights the growing importance of large photovoltaic plants in the European energy transition.
Germany and Spain lead in solar energy employment
Germany remained the largest solar jobs market in the European Union during 2025, with approximately 165,000 jobs , just ahead of Spain , which recorded a similar figure.
Italy ranked third, with around 85,000 jobs .
Together, Germany, Spain, and Italy accounted for almost half of the entire European solar workforce . France, Romania, and Poland also ranked among the top photovoltaic job markets in the European Union.
Christophe Lits , author of the report and Senior Market Analyst at SolarPower Europe, highlighted: “This year’s report marks an important milestone by jointly assessing the use of solar energy and battery storage for the first time.”
“As solar energy and storage become increasingly integrated technologies, we expect to see more workers designing, installing and operating them together, reflecting the growing role of flexibility in the European energy system,” he explained.
However, he cautioned that this process will require concrete measures: “This won’t happen on its own. People need pathways to these jobs, training they can access, and projects to work on. Policymakers must now translate European ambitions on skills and electrification into concrete actions.”
They warn of a possible drop in employment by 2030
Although solar employment continues to grow, SolarPower Europe considers the observed slowdown to be a warning sign.
Under the current market trajectory, the report projects that solar employment could decline by 2030 due to slower growth in new installations, productivity improvements that reduce labor demand, and more complex investment conditions for new projects.
The document also identifies the increase in renewable energy curtailments, the greater frequency of negative electricity prices, and the insufficient deployment of flexibility solutions as growing challenges to the incorporation of new solar capacity, with direct consequences for employment.
Faced with this scenario, SolarPower Europe demands that the capabilities and training linked to the solar sector occupy a central place within the European agenda for competitiveness and industry .
According to the association, the priority now should be on implementing existing policies and turning initiatives such as the Union of Skills , the Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) and the Electrification Action Plan into concrete support tools for workers, training centers and businesses.
Furthermore, Europe must accelerate both electrification and the deployment of flexibility solutions , while expanding the training, apprenticeship and retraining programs needed to ensure the workforce required for the transition to renewable energy.