Who is driving investments in renewable energies?

Published on: October 2, 2020 / Updated on: October 15, 2020 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Who is driving investment in renewable energies? – Image: @shutterstock|Krisana Antharith

Sustainable investments in the energy sector as a PDF, see below – Germany, once a flagship of renewable energy policy, performs particularly poorly in wind power investments due to complex approval procedures that often deter investors.

Global investment in renewable energy has nearly doubled in the last decade. During this period, Europe lost its position as the leading investor in renewable energy and was overtaken by China and the United States. According to a publication by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the United Nations, and the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, investment in China nearly tripled between 2009 and 2019. The data includes R&D spending by companies and governments, investments in venture capital, private equity, and public markets, as well as funds spent on renewable energy facilities and other such assets, with the latter representing the largest share of global investment.

Media reports in Europe indicate that investments in wind energy, in particular, have declined. Energy expert Professor Dr. Ulf Moslener of the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management attributes this to the fact that, given the current market structure and organization, investors do not truly believe in the long-term attractiveness of alternative energy generation. Germany, once a flagship of renewable energy policy, is performing particularly poorly in these wind power investments due to complex permitting procedures that often deter investors.

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Suitable for:

• Renewable Energy: Global investment has increased
• China plans to be climate neutral by 2060

Sustainable investments in the energy sector

German version – To see the PDF, please click on the image below.
German Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Sustainable investments in the energy sector – PDF download

Renewable energy in China – Renewable energy in China

English version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.
English Version – To view the PDF, please click on the image below.

Renewable energy in China – PDF download

This is how much the world is investing in clean energy

(Post from January 11, 2017)

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, $348 billion was invested in clean energy in 2015, the lion's share of which went to renewable energy (RE). While spending on environmentally friendly power generation is stagnating in much of the world, Asia is apparently investing heavily. China alone – often considered the black sheep of the international community when it comes to environmental protection – accounted for 36 percent of RE investments. The USA (15.4 percent) and Japan (12.7 percent) followed at some distance. Germany contributed three percent to the global investment. The star among renewable energy sources is solar power: 56.3 percent of all RE investments in 2015 went toward expanding photovoltaic capacity. A further 38.3 percent was spent on new wind turbines.

You can find more infographics at Statista

Revenue in the environmental protection industry

(Post from October 31, 2014)

The German wind and solar energy sectors are in demand worldwide. A look at the revenues in these sectors shows that a large proportion of them are generated abroad. This is even more pronounced for goods and services in the field of combined heat and power (CHP), although these are less prevalent domestically.

Infographic: Revenue in the environmental protection industry | Statista