The hidden winners of renewable energy promotion: Insights into sector-specific wage differentials

Manfred Antoni, Markus Janser and Florian Lehmer

Energy Policy, 2015, vol. 86, issue C, 595-613

Abstract: In light of Germany's energy system transformation, this paper examines differences in employment structures and wage differentials between renewable energy establishments and their sector peers. To do so, we have developed a novel data set by linking company-level information from the German Renewable Energy Federation with administrative establishment-level data from the Institute for Employment Research. Descriptive evidence shows significant differences in wages and several other characteristics between renewable energy establishments and their sector peers. Our estimates give evidence that human capital and other establishment-level characteristics mostly explain the wage differential among manufacturers and energy providers. However, we find a persistent ‘renewable energy wage premium' of more than ten percent in construction/installation activities and architectural/engineering services. We interpret this premium as a positive indirect effect of the promotion of renewable energies for the benefit of employees in renewable energy establishments within these two sectors.

Keywords: Renewable energy; Employment; Green jobs; Wages; Human capital; Record linkage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C81 J31 Q42 Q52 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Working Paper: The hidden winners of renewable energy promotion: insights into sector-specific wage differentials (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:86:y:2015:i:c:p:595-613

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2015.07.027

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