China Tops other Countries in Clean Energy Investments, according to report

According to a report recently released by the Pew Charitable Trusts, China is leading the world in clean energy investments as of 2009. The report examined the financing and investment strategies of the "Group of 20" (G-20) nations that are considered to have major economies, and determined that China has invested twice as much as the U.S. in clean energy projects, spending $34.6 billion compared to the U.S. total of $18.6 billion. The U.S. does have more private equity and venture capital invested in clean energy projects that any other nation surveyed, which is considered essential in early technology development.

The report did find that overall, clean energy investments had increased over fifty percent in the past five years, representing a total increase of 230 percent since 2005. This is expected to continue to rise, with an estimated $200 billion being invested in renewable energy projects world wide in 2010.

Findings indicated that countries that have promoted strong national incentives and clean energy target standards such as Spain and the United Kingdom have produced a more robust market environment for clean energy investments to get launched and thrive.