Record Clean Energy Investment

As fossil fuel commodity process plunged, global clean energy investment reached a record $329 billion in 2015 according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s “Clean Energy Investment By the Numbers—End of Year 2015.” Chinese investments led the pack with $110. 5 billion, followed by the United States at $56 billion, an increase of 8% over 2014. However, emerging countries also got into the game: Mexico $4.2b, up 114%; Chile $3.5b, up 157%; South Africa, $4.5bm up 329%; and Morocco, $2b, up from nearly zero in 2014.

Utility-scale wind comprised 60% of the investment, while solar projects garnered 34%. Rooftop solar investment grew by 12%, totaling $67.4 billion for the year with Japan, the US, and China as the top three contributors. 2015 saw the highest ever installation of renewable power capacity—64 gigawatts of wind and 57 gigawatts solar photovoltaic were commissioned during the year, up nearly 30% over 2014 and comprising 50% of the net capacity added in all global generation technologies (fossil fuel, nuclear, and renewable). The 67% drop in oil prices over 18 months, nor low global coal and natural gas prices did not curtail global clean energy investment.

Click here to see the nine-chart presentation that tells the story of the 2015 boom in global clean energy investment.

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