For the first time in three years, new funds for wind, solar and other low-carbon technologies increased, according to data compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Almost half of the investment went into solar, which rose 25% to $149.6bn last year, its highest share ever, while funding for wind grew by 11% to $99.5bn, largely because of support for huge offshore projects.
China was the biggest contributor, increasing its investment by 32% to $89.5bn, to become the top market for solar and one of the largest for wind.
The US boosted investment by 8% to $51.8bn (the most since 2012), while Japan, which has become the second-biggest solar market, lifted funding for renewables 12% to $41.3bn.
In Europe, which led the industry in installations in the first decade of this century, investment grew 1% to $66bn despite funding for offshore wind.
