In the Financial Times, Tricia Holly Davis writes a piece entitled “Clean technology: Investors eye Chinese approach,” that highlights the Chinese economic growth the US will miss out on without more investments in clean-energy.

According to the environmental analyst group, New Energy Finance, investments in Chinese greentech were up 20% in 2009.  The $3 trillion the Chinese government plans to invest in power between now and 2030 has inspired investor confidence in everything from wind and solar to electric cars to lithium batteries, vital for energy storage.

The Chinese solar industry, according to McKinsey, will reduce its costs by almost 80% by 2030 and continue to profit greatly from flooding the world with a supply of cheap panels.

While wind also holds great expectations for growth – to 150 gigawatts and eight times its current level by 2020 – FT projections might not tell the whole truth:

“Alan MacCharles of Deloitte cautions that the sector could be heading for a bust due to overcapacity and difficulty connecting to the nation’s power grid.”

Other markets, from the 500,000 low-carbon cars expected in 2011, to the lithium batteries have drawn great investor attention as well.  The best sign for these investments?  Warren Buffett is buying in.