Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2015
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What this document is
‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2015’ is one edition of an annual report that tracks the flow of money into clean energy worldwide. It is produced jointly by UN Environment, the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The 2015 edition reports on investment made during 2014. This page summarises what the report covers and why the series matters, from general knowledge; it does not reproduce the report’s specific totals, which you should read from the original.
What it covers
The report breaks a complex global flow of capital into readable trends. Its themes, across the series and in this edition, broadly include the following.
- Total new investment in renewable energy for the year, set against previous years;
- The split between technologies, with solar and wind leading;
- The growing role of developing economies as sources of new investment;
- The trend of falling technology costs, so more capacity is added per pound invested;
- The mix of financing routes, from large asset finance to small distributed projects.
A recurring message of the series is that renewables were, by the mid-2010s, rebounding strongly after a dip, driven especially by cheaper solar and rising demand outside the traditional wealthy markets.
Why it matters
Investment is a leading indicator of where the energy system is heading: money committed now becomes tomorrow’s wind farms and solar arrays. By tracking that capital, the report offers an early read on the pace of the transition, which is why analysts, journalists and policymakers cite it so often.
Many external articles once linked directly to the original PDF and now reach a dead link, so a stable summary preserves the reference.
How it relates to UK energy
The cost falls the report documents are the same global trend that made wind and solar central to Britain’s electricity mix, and cheaper renewables ultimately shape the tariffs and support schemes available to households.
For the household angle, read our guide to renewable energy and our explainer on feed-in tariffs and the Smart Export Guarantee.
You can find the original via UN Environment (UNEP), which publishes the series openly.
Frequently asked questions
Who produces this report?
It is a collaboration between UN Environment (UNEP), the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which supplies much of the investment data.
How is the 2015 edition different from other years?
Each edition reports on the previous year’s investment, so the 2015 report covers 2014. The series as a whole tracks the same categories year on year, which is what makes the trends readable; individual editions capture the state of the market at that point.
What does it measure?
It totals global investment in renewable power and fuels — wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, small hydro and more — broken down by technology, region and type of finance.
Where can I read the original?
The report is published openly by UN Environment and the Frankfurt School-UNEP Centre. This page links to UNEP so you can find the primary source.