CAPITAL AND CLIMATE

In 2014, global investment in low-carbon technology and climate resilience reached $391 billion, an 18% increase from 2013. Renewable energy attracted $292 billion, with private capital accounting for 75% of this investment. China, the U.S., and Japan were the top three investors. The document also notes that nearly 50% of all new power installed globally in 2014 was renewable, with solar and wind making up 95 GW of the 103 GW added. In the U.S., declining costs are evident in solar PV bids and LED light bulb prices, with Lazard's LCOE data showing utility-scale solar and wind are cost-competitive with natural gas and coal.

• Global investment in low-carbon technology and climate resilience rose to $391 billion in 2014, representing an 18% increase over the $331 billion invested in 2013. Of this total, $243 billion came from private capital and $148 billion from public funds, with 83% of the total allocated to low carbon technologies.
• Renewable energy investment totaled $292 billion in 2014. Private capital was a primary driver, with 75% of private investment directed toward renewable energy projects, a 26% increase from 2013. Specifically, private investment in solar photovoltaics (PV) generation grew by 225% compared to 2013.
• China was the leading investor in renewables in 2014 with $83 billion (a 36% increase from 2013), followed by the U.S. at $38 billion and Japan at $36 billion (10% higher than 2013).
• Renewable energy accounted for nearly 50% of all new power installed globally in 2014. A total of 103 GW of capacity was added from new renewable sources, of which 95 GW were solar and wind installations.
• Declining costs are making low-carbon technologies competitive. In the U.S., Austin's municipal utility saw solar PV bids drop from 5 cents to 4 cents per kilowatt-hour in less than a year. LED light bulb prices have fallen by nearly 90% since 2008. Lazard's levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) data indicates utility-scale solar PV (5.8 – 7 cents/kWh) and wind (3.2 – 7.7 cents/kWh) are competitive with natural gas (6.8 – 10.1 cents/kWh) and coal (6.5 – 15 cents/kWh).

APA

Energy Innovation (n.d.). CAPITAL AND CLIMATE. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/CapitalClimateFactsheet.pdf

Chicago

Energy Innovation. CAPITAL AND CLIMATE. n.d. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/CapitalClimateFactsheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Energy Innovation |title=CAPITAL AND CLIMATE |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/CapitalClimateFactsheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{energyinnovationndcapital, author = {{Energy Innovation}}, title = {{CAPITAL AND CLIMATE}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/CapitalClimateFactsheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }