FollowA United Nations report found that worldwide spending on green energy increased by 32% in 2010 thanks to lower prices, larger availability and tighter regulations within certain countries requiring increased renewable energy. In total, there was $211 billion in 2010 investments in clean energy across the planet, which the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says was led by Chinese wind farms and German solar roofs. The report also noted that developing countries out-spent developed nations in renewable energy investments — with $72 billion versus $70 billion.
China was the big spender according to the report with a total investment of $49.8 billion — the US trailed with a total investment of $29.6 billion. There was a huge hike in small-scale renewable energy spending, solar-roof installations were up 91% to $60 billion in 2010 over 2009. The report made many notes of governments pushing toward renewable energy technology at one point noting that government investment in research was up to $5.3 billion — that’s up a total of 121%.
“Clean energy is starting to make a difference,” energy policy analyst Peter Lund of Finland’s Aalto University, told USA Today. “However, it is very important to stress that new energy technologies’ markets still rely much on government support and stimulus.” The report concluded that solar prices have dropped 60% from 2008, and notes that decrease has had a huge effect on solar installation worldwide. Though wind turbine prices have also fell, they haven’t come down quite as much.
Source: inhabitat
