| Follow us on:
|
![[Xinhua]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/solar-300x183.jpg)
China and South Africa were singled out by the Pew Report as leading record investment drives for clean energy [Xinhua]
Among the Group of 20 nations, China reclaimed the top spot from the United States, attracting $65.1 billion, a 20 per cent increase over 2011 and 30 per cent of the total for the G20 group.
The 11 per cent decline in clean energy investments compared to 2011 levels was due in part to curtailed incentive programmes in a number of countries, among them Spain, Italy, and Germany.
China and South Africa were singled out by the Pew Report as leading record investment drives for clean energy.
The Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race? 2012 Edition of Pew Research notes that policy confusion in United States and Europe has led to investment decline in clean energy in these regions.
“Although the United States invented many of the leading clean energy technologies, it continues to under-perform in investment and deployment relative to the size of its economy and its history in the field,” says Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew’s clean energy programme.
China has established itself as the leader in attracting investment in wind, solar, and other renewables. China added 23 GW of clean energy generating capacity, bringing its total to 152 GW, the most of any nation.
South Africa was the fastest-growing market in the G-20, with investment growing from less than $30 million in 2011 to $5.5 billion in 2012.
The South African solar sector attracted $4.3 billion in 2012, or 80 per cent of the total. Another $1.1 billion went to the nation’s wind sector.
The BRICS Post
