by Rebecca Walker — January 26, 2011—New investment in global clean energy reached $243 billion in 2010, driven by China’s clean energy spending, expansion of European offshore wind, and installations of rooftop photovoltaics in Europe, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The research company noted on January 11 that this annual total is up 30 percent from a revised figure of $186.5 billion in 2009, making 2010 the strongest year so far for investment in clean energy. The 2010 total is nearly five times that of 2004, when $51.7 billion was invested. The report included investment in renewable energy, biofuels, energy efficiency, smart grid and other energy technologies, carbon capture, as well as storage and infrastructure for clean energy.
In terms of clean energy technologies, overall investment in wind gained 31 percent to reach $96 billion, with almost 40 percent of that amount claimed by China or by large European offshore wind projects. However, biofuels had a nearly flat year, with funding down to $7.9 billion from $8.1 billion in 2009, while biomass and waste-to-energy funding dropped to $11.6 billion from $12 billion.
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