China was the leading destination for renewable energy investment in 2017, at a record $126.6 billion, up 31 per cent on 2016, said a report issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners on April 5.

China was also a driving power behind last year’s surge in solar power, the report added.

2017 marked the eighth year in a row in which global investment in renewables exceeded $200 billion, and since 2004 the world has invested $2.9 trillion in green energy sources, according to the report.

The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018 report was jointly issued by the UNEP, Frankfurt School of Finance & Investment, Frankfurt School - UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Last year, the world installed a record 98 gigawatts of new solar capacity, far more than the net additions of other types of energy production including non-solar renewables, fossil fuel and nuclear.

China experienced an unprecedented boom that saw some 53 gigawatts added - more than half the global total - and $86.5 billion invested, up 58 percent.

“The extraordinary surge in solar investment shows how the global energy map is changing and, more importantly, what the economic benefits are of such a shift”, said UNEP chief Erik Solheim.

Investments in renewables bring more people into the economy, they deliver more jobs, better quality jobs and better paid jobs, he said, adding that clean energy also means less pollution, which means healthier and happier development.