The first ever survey into diversity in the Australian clean energy sector.
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28 Oct 2021
Empowering Everyone: Diversity in the Australian Clean Energy Sector provides a comprehensive snapshot of the professional and social identities that make up the Australian clean energy workforce.
Covering categories such as education, cultural background, age, sexuality and disability, the report will allow the industry to identify where systemic barriers and inequities may exist so that we can develop strategies to create a more inclusive and equitable clean energy sector.
Diversity brings balance and a range of viewpoints that, while sometimes challenging, only serves to make up better people and to build a stronger and more relevant business.
Survey respondent
Key findings
Larger organisations dominate the utility-scale renewable energy sector, with almost 50 per cent of the workforce employed by an organisation with more than 200 employees.
Women make up 39 per cent of the Australian clean energy workforce. While this is less than the total Australian workforce, it is better than the average for the global renewable energy industry.
68 per cent of the Australian clean energy workforce was born in Australia, which is similar to the entire Australian population. The 30–40 age group is the most diverse, while the over 60 category is the least diverse.
Almost 20 per cent of employees have experienced disadvantage at work due to their diversity.
The Clean Energy Council and the Clean Energy Investor Group, Australia’s leading clean energy industry and investment peak bodies, warn that political grandstanding over net-zero targets risks undermining the investor confidence and policy certainty needed to build the cheap, clean and reliable power that Australians need.
Clean Energy Council welcomes NSW Liberals' support for Net Zero
The Clean Energy Council has welcomed the NSW Liberal Party’s reaffirmed commitment to Net Zero by 2050 and recognition that New South Wales must replace its ageing coal-fired power stations with modern, clean energy alternatives.
Clean Energy Council response to the Coalition's net zero announcement
The politics of net zero does not change the physics of our electricity system. Australia’s coal-fired power stations are closing whether we like it or not — more than 90 per cent are due to retire in the next decade. The fastest and cheapest option to replace the power is solar, wind backed by batteries and a bit of gas.
Submission to the AEMC on Integrated Distribution System Planning - Directions Paper (ERC0410)
The CEC supports the objectives of the proposed rule change and sees it as critical to enabling consumer energy resources (CER) uptake and virtual power plant (VPP) services by reducing uncertainty, improving hosting capacity visibility and lowering risk of stranded or constrained CER assets.
Joint submission into the inquiry into the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025
We write with a joint submission on behalf of the Smart Energy Council and the Clean Energy Council. We have prepared this submission at the request of the Committee and in advance of our anticipated appearance at a Committee hearing on 14 November 2025.
Submission on VicGrid’s proposed changes to the connections and access framework
We welcome this opportunity to comment on VicGrid’s proposed draft connections and access consultation paper and the draft Grid Impact Assessment (GIA) Guidelines that will underpin the proposed connections and access regime to apply in Victoria from early 2026.
