China sets pace in clean energy investment, Pew report says

Call China the green menace. Last year marked the first time China outpaced other countries with large economies in making clean energy investments, according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts. The country invested $34.6 billion in a clean energy economy, nearly twice the United States’ total of $18.6 billion, according to Pew.

“China is now clearly the world leader in attracting new capital and making new investments in this area,” said Bloomberg New Energy Finance Chief Executive Michael Liebreich in a release.

Pew’s report, Who's Winning the Clean Energy Race?, tracked and measured global investment activity, such as venture capital, initial public offerings from companies seeking to expand, mergers and acquisitions and lending for large-scale projects. 

Some points from the report:

• Clean energy investments have increased globally by 230 percent since 2005.
• Investment by nearly all G-20 members grew by more than 50 percent over the past five years.
  
• More than 250 gigawatts of renewable energy generating capacity have been installed around the world, producing six percent of global energy.