12 June 2013: The sister publications, ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2013,’ the sixth edition of the Frankfurt School-UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Centre/Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report, and the ‘REN21 Renewables 2013 Global Status Report,’ a reference report on renewable energy market, industry and policy developments, were launched via media teleconference.

The reports were launched by Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, Arthouros Zervos, Chairman of the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), Michael Liebreich, BNEF Chief Executive, and Ulf Moslener, a professor and Head of Research of the Frankfurt School – UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance.

The reports indicate that, for only the second time since 2006, global investments in renewable energy in 2012 failed to top the previous year, falling 12% mainly due to lower solar prices and weakened US and EU markets. They also find that 2012 was the second highest year ever for renewable energy investments, which total $1.3 trillion since 2006. The reports identify ongoing renewable energy policy instability in important developed-economy markets as the main issue holding back investment last year.

The reports further highlight, inter alia: a new record for installations of solar and wind; the acceleration in the geographical shift in renewables deployment as a widening trend towards an increasing number of countries, particularly in the developing world; the renewable energy sector employed an estimated 5.7 million people worldwide in 2012; and despite a slowdown in national level policy support in 2012, local governments made increasing use of their authority to facilitate the financing of renewable energy projects.

The ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2013’ includes a foreword from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Commenting on the reports, Christiana Figueres, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, notes that “the increasing deployment of wind, solar, geothermal and other clean energy power sources serve as a powerful antidote to those who claim that a transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient future is unobtainable.” [Publication: Global Status Report 2013] [UNEP Frankfurt School Press Release] [UNEP Press Release] [Key Findings of the Global Trends 2013 Report]