Key drivers in renewable energy development

After the slump in crude oil prices in second half of 2014 renewable energy investment reached historical high in 2015. In the end of this year Paris agreement on climate change was adopted creating powerful stimulus for renewable resource utilization. In September 2015 at the United Nations General Assembly international community has formulated Sustainable Development Goal #7 related to energy sector. These events represent new reality called ‘Energy Transition’ to the new post-industrial structure in energy industry emerging nowadays. This book is designed to uncover driving forces in renewable energy development as a key element in energy transition process. Modern energy more and more relies on technology rather than natural resources extensively used in industrial society. Here we analyze the status of innovation in 6 renewable energy subsectors and compare it with the state of technological progress in traditional energy. Secondly we represent geographical landscape of renewable energy investment. This is to emphasize the fact that investment is a fundamental issue in any kind of economic activity. Robust development is feasible when investment inflows are being attracted.