Financing the Change

This document synthesizes 2015–2016 evidence on renewable-energy finance and deployment, reporting a record US$286 billion in new investment—$156 billion in developing countries and $130 billion in developed—versus $130 billion for new coal and gas, with leading totals in China ($103 billion), the United States ($44.1 billion), and Japan ($36.2 billion). It notes renewable power capacity growth from 85 GW in 2004 to 657 GW in 2014 and an estimated 22.8% share of global electricity by end-2014. UN Environment’s programs highlighted include SCAF’s 20-MW Senergy-2 project in Senegal serving 160,000 people, Haiti’s RemitEnergy (42,000 solar units; ~$1.5 million saved), Green Climate Fund readiness in nine countries, and Morocco’s lighting initiative installing nine million CFLs and cutting prices from MAD 24 to MAD 18.