Jobs in large-scale solar energy projects have more than doubled in a year, boosting the renewables sector, new figures show.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday revealed the number of full-time jobs in the overall renewable energy sector grew by 28 per cent to 17,740 jobs in 2017/18.
Rooftop solar created the most employment, accounting for 46 per cent of all jobs.
Large scale solar projects were the second-largest creator of renewable jobs in this time period, overtaking hydro-electric power.
"Factors contributing to the growth in renewable energy uptake in Australia include a reduction in costs, greater interest in clean energy sources and the development of electricity storage technologies," ABS's Jonathon Khoo said.
"Although this has led to a boost in employment in the renewable energy sector, employment in renewable energy remains comparatively small compared with other forms of energy which employs around 59,000 people."
The majority of Australia's renewable energy jobs are in Queensland, followed by NSW and Victoria, with the three states amassing 72 per cent of the sector's employment.
Employment in rooftop solar fell from more than 14,000 jobs in 2011/12 to less than 6000 in 2015/16, the ABS data showed.
Jobs have steadily increased in the sub-sector since then, to more than 8000 in 2017/18.
Australian Associated Press
