RenewableS 2013 GlObal STaTUS RePORT - REN21

03 INVESTMENT FLOWS
renewable energy resources; and falling technology costs of
wind and solar PV.
Several regions of the world experienced a reduction in
investment in 2012 relative to 2011; the exceptions were Asia
and the Middle East, the Americas excluding the United States
and Brazil, and Africa. 2 (See Figure 22.) Europe and China
continued to be the most significant investors; together, they
accounted for 60% of the world total in 2012, even though it
was Europe’s weakest year since 2009.
At the national level, the top investors included four developing
countries (most of the BRICS countries) and six developed
countries. China was in the lead with USD 64.7 billion invested,
followed by the United States (USD 34.2 billion), Germany
(USD 19.8 billion), Japan (USD 16.0 billion), and Italy (USD
14.1 billion). The next five were the United Kingdom (USD 8.8
billion), India (USD 6.4 billion), South Africa (USD 5.7 billion),
Brazil (USD 5.3 billion), and France (USD 4.6 billion). i
China accounted for USD 66.6 billion (including R&D) of
renewable energy new investment, up 22% from 2011 levels. It
was fuelled by strong growth in the solar power sector, including
both utility-scale ii and small-scale projects (