Venture capital investments in the renewable energy sector are on course to reap annualised returns of more than 50%, as commitments to the climate change sector for the year to date hit $6bn (€4.3bn), outstripping the total for the whole of last year.

Venture capital is on track to realise a gross annualised internal rate of return of 55% from investments in clean energy companies, according to analysis completed by London-based research boutique New Energy Finance.