IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency, has produced a report which says that there are now 10.3 million jobs across the world in renewable energy. This means that, according to the agency's figures, there has been a 500,000 jump in the number of new jobs in clean energy, with a 5.3pc increase in 2017 compared to the previous year.

Of these jobs, 43pc were created in China, where the country's burgeoning solar energy industry now employs over 3.4m people across the world in direct and aligned supplier jobs.

The data also showed that renewable energy employment was focused in Brazil, China, India, the USA, Japan and Germany. The UK was in seventh position in the ranking of countries deemed to be most attractive for renewables.

1.1 million jobs were also created in wind power across the world, with Germany and China both taking the prime position for employment in the field. Britain took fifth place in the ranking system, with around 41,800 roles. When calculating employment in renewable energy, the UK was in second position on the European leader board.

IRENA's director-general, Adnan Amin, said that renewable energy was helping to drive forward economic growth for the world's governments - demonstrated by the large number of jobs already in place across the renewable industries. The message may be of interest to Britain's own government, which has come under criticism for changing its policies on renewable subsidies and access to public energy auctions.

He added that the data also showed that in the countries where government policies were attractive, renewable energy was delivering the biggest benefits. This, he explained, supported IRENA's own analysis that the global energy decarbonisation process would help to develop the world's economy and create an additional 28 million new jobs by 2050.