World clean energy investments rise 22% in Q2

Higher spending in China and the US counteracts slump.

The US$53.1 billion invested in the clean energy industry, however, was 16% lower than the US$63.1 billion spent in the same period a year earlier. Investment in China rose 63% to US$13.8 billion.

The outlook for the rest of the world was grim, however. Europe’s spending last year fell to the lowest in more than six years, and dropped 44% in this first quarter to US$9.5 billion in Q2.

Asset finance of utility-scale projects such as wind and solar parks climbed 39% from the first quarter to US$31.9 billion, but was a 21% plunge year-on-year. Venture capital and private-equity investment in clean energy plummeted 48% to US$1.3 billion.

Analysts noted that globally, 2013 is still running below 2012, which was itself down on the 2011 investment record.