REN21, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century, has produced its annual Renewables Global Status report. A copy of the report is available here.

Highlghts of the report on 2009 include:

• Investment in new renewable was $US150 billion – up from $US130 billion in 2008
• Globally, nearly 80 GW of renewable capacity was added, including 31 GW of hydro and 48 GW of non-hydro capacity
• Almost half of the new capacity (37 GW) was added in Chin
• More renewable power capacity was added than coal, gas and nuclear power capacity in.both the United States and Europe
• 38 GW of wind power capacity was added with more than a third (13.8 GW) of that being in China. The United States was second, with 10 GW added
• 7 GW of solar PV was added itions with Germany adding more than half (3.8 GW) the global total
• Many countries saw record biomass use. In Sweden, biomass accounted for a larger share of energy supply than oil for the first time
• Major crystalline PV module price declines took place, by 50–60 percent by some estimates, from highs of $3.50 per watt in 2008 to lows approaching $2 per watt
• There was record small-scale solar Pv but the dollar investment totals in utility-scale solar PV declined relative to 2008, partly because of the large drop in the costs of solar PV modules.

Wind Power – World Installed Capacity

Solar PV – World Installed Capacity

Australia and China have agreed to a range of initiatives ot accelerate their co-operation on climate change. The initiatives were announced by Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, after a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. 

The initiatives include a joint feasibility study into developing the world’s largest solar city in north-east China, water quality monitoring of the Yellow River, a trial of carbon capture technology and regular ministerial meetings aimed at reaching a post-Kyoto agreement on climate change and looking at ways of speeding the development of low-emission technologies.

Mr Rudd, together with Australian Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, visited a coal-fired power plant near Beijing where Australian CSIRO technology to capture carbon dioxide is being tested.  The CSIRO believes that its technology is capable of capturing up to 85% of the carbon produced by a coal-fired power station.

Mr Rudd has continued to push the benefits of closer economic ties between Australia and China, particularly in the services sector. "There are significant economic opportunities if we have sufficient vision and are prepared to undertake the groundwork necessary to grasp them," he said.