China Global Leader in Clean Energy, Australia in 12th Place

Added by Nigel Shelbourne on March 30, 2011

China has taken the lead in green energy, with Germany runner-up, and Australia in 12th place, a new study shows.

The survey, by Pew Charitable Trusts, established a significant global growth in solar, wind and other renewable energy with only one exception – Britain, where a 70 percent decline in clean energy investment was noticed following the introduction of a new government.

As a result, Phyllis Cuttino, director of the Pew Clean Energy Program, concluded: “What we believe it all comes down to, frankly, is policy… Germany and China have ambitious renewable energy standards and, certainly in the case of Germany, they also have a feed-in tariff that’s really helped them.”

Despite severe pollution and a dubious title as top carbon emissions producer, there seems to be no stopping China in clean energy investments; the country now produces almost half of the world’s wind and solar modules. Clean energy investments in 2010 increased by 39 percent from 2009, to $US54.4 billion.

Australia and Italy also saw its clean energy investments more than double in the same period. The U.S., despite slipping to third place, also experienced a 51 per cent growth.