A BloombergNEF report found that global investments in clean energy are rising, indicating continued investor confidence and support for green tech.
In the first half of 2025, a record $386 billion was invested in the sector — a 10% increase from the same period last year, per the report.
While that is good news, not all clean energy sectors are benefiting from this increase in investments, signaling steps forward in some sectors and backwards motion in others. The BNEF Renewable Energy Investment Tracker found that offshore wind and small-scale solar were popular investments in the first half of the year.
In fact, offshore wind investment reached $39.3 billion in the first half of 2025, eclipsing the total investment of 2024 entirely. But investments in utility-scale solar and onshore wind waned, seeing a 13% drop in financial backing.
In an episode of the Bloomberg podcast Switched On, BNEF's head of clean power research, Meredith Annex, explained that usually two-thirds of global clean energy investment is put toward utility solar and onshore wind. In the first half of 2025, less than 50% of investments went to these sectors.
"Renewable energy investors and developers are rethinking capital allocation and putting their money where project returns are strongest," Annex said. "The decline in utility-scale solar and onshore wind financing during the first half of 2025 is taking a toll on project pipelines and likely will continue to do so."
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Of all major regions, the U.S. experienced the greatest drop in new renewable energy investment in the first half of 2025. The country saw a 36% decrease in renewable energy investments compared to the same period in 2024, per the report.
BNEF attributed this sharp drop to investor anticipation of policy shifts and clean energy tax credit cuts, along with the threat of U.S.-imposed tariffs. BNEF reported that wind energy investment dropped sharply while solar stayed about the same, showing that different types of clean energy sectors have felt differing effects of policy changes.
But as the U.S. experienced a drop in investments, other regions flourished. The European Union saw investments climb 63%, which Annex said could be a result of global investors moving clean energy funds from U.S. investments to a more stable European environment.
"Markets with supportive revenue mechanisms have maintained momentum on renewable energy investment," Annex said in the Bloomberg article. "Whereas projects in markets where revenue certainty is shifting, particularly when it's down to large swings in policy as in the U.S. or mainland China, are seeing a boom-bust cycle ahead of those changes."
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But even with policy changes, China remained the main global benefactor of clean energy investments, accounting for roughly 44% of global investment.
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