?8 April, Brussels ?- Europe has faced a large drop in investment in renewables in 2013, according to a Pew Environment report, with investment dropping by over 40% compared to 2012 in Germany, Spain, Italy and France. Meanwhile, investment is growing in emerging economies, particularly in China. The statistics support warnings from the renewable energy sector that the EU is losing its early lead in renewables.
8 April, Brussels – Europe suffered a large drop in investment in renewables in 2013, according to a Pew Environment report. Investment dropped by over 40% (compared to 2012) in Germany, Spain, Italy and France, whilst investment in emerging economies continued to grow. The statistics support warnings from the clean energy sector that the EU is losing its early lead in renewables.
Whilst global investment dropped by around 11%, the EU was disproportionately hit by investment reduction. Amongst the large EU countries, only the UK saw greater investment than in 2012, with a 13% increase driven by development of the Offshore Wind sector. Comparatively, investments in Germany and Italy dropped by 55% and 75%, respectively.
Policy uncertainty is the main problem facing the EU, with the solar sector hit particularly hard by retroactive changes in a number of countries. It is hoped that investments will pick up again once the EU’s Climate and Energy Framework for 2030 is finalised.
Japan had the fastest growing investment rate – up 80% on 2012 – reflecting a reorientation towards renewables following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. China, meanwhile, attracted $54.2billion in investment, accounted for 38% of investment in wind power worldwide, and saw a near fourfold growth in solar PV in 2012.
Click here to see the study, ‘Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race?’