Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number of people employed in the solar power sector in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England.

The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills has published information on the number of people employed in in onshore wind, offshore wind and solar PV sectors across the UK as set out in its report, The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy.[1]

In 2013, onshore wind employed 12,800 people, offshore wind employed 10,900 people, and solar PV employed 28,700 people in England. 2,100 people were employed in onshore wind, 500 people in offshore wind, and 2,900 people in solar PV, in the Yorkshire and Humber region in 2013.[2]

Information is not broken down to show the number of people employed in these sectors for South Yorkshire or Barnsley.

[1] The Size and Performance of the UK Low Carbon Economy: Report for 2010 to 2013 (March 2015), Department for Business, Innovation & Skills:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416240/bis-15-206-size-and-performance-of-uk-low-carbon-economy.pdf

[2] Employment stated here includes headcount in both direct activates and supply chain.