Dollars and Yuan: Snapshot of Global Green Energy Investment

By Josie Garthwaite Mar. 25, 2010, 12:02pm PT 1 Comment

Venture Capital/Private Equity Financing, By Sector 2004-09 (in GW)

Venture capital and private equity: That’s the sweet spot for the U.S. and one of the only areas where the country leads the world in terms of financing a renewable energy buildout, according to a new report from the Pew Environment Group.

When it comes to other types and measurements of green energy financing — including the total amount of financing, the installed renewable energy capacity, the rate of investment growth over the last five years, the amount of financing and investment as a percentage of gross domestic product, total asset financing and IPO activity in 2009 — the U.S. does not hold the top spot. And in many cases, it ranks at No. 2, behind China.

Michael Liebreich, chief executive for Bloomberg New Energy Finance (Pew’s research partner on the report), put the researchers’ basic conclusion simply: “China is now clearly the world leader in attracting new capital and making new investments in this area.” The charts in the gallery below offer a snapshot of where global investment is going in the renewable energy sector.