After four successive years of declining investment, figures from 2013 show a recovery in Asia-Pacific's alternative energy sector.

According to greenfield investment monitor fDi Markets, FDI in the alternative and renewable energy sector in Asia-Pacific has started to show signs of recovery after four successive years of declining project numbers. Data recorded for 2013 highlights an upward movement in FDI, the first since FDI in the sector peaked in 2008.

Between 2008 and 2012, FDI in the alternative and renewable energy sector across Asia-Pacific declined significantly. In 2008, 74 projects and 4492 jobs were created by 62 different investing companies but FDI levels witnessed a substantial decrease in the years following and in 2012, there were just 29 projects and 1485 jobs created in the sector, representing a 60.9% decrease in projects and a 66.9% drop in jobs created.

Data recorded for 2013 highlights an upward trend in investment in the alternative and renewable energy sector in Asia-Pacific. A total of 39 projects were recorded, with 1758 jobs created by 35 investing companies, representing a 25.6% increase in projects recorded, a 15.6% increase in jobs created and a 34.2% increase in companies investing compared with 2012. The data recorded for 2013 represents a three-year high for the sector, with the highest FDI levels since 2009, when 61 projects were recorded and 5015 jobs were created by 48 different investing companies.

With only three full months of recorded data for 2014, it is too early to tell whether the recovery of FDI in the alternative and renewable energy sector in Asia-Pacific will continue. Initial estimates taken from the first three months of data would suggest, however, that while investment levels are unlikely to surpass 2013 levels, the number of jobs created could break the 2000 mark, which would represent the highest job creation in this sector since 2010.

This article is sourced from fDi Magazine