Francesco Starace, CEO of Italy-based renewable energy company Enel Green Power, tells Barbara Njau where he sees the sector heading in 2013 – and where growth opportunities lie.

Businesses in Pittsburgh are rising to the green-technology challenge by constructing zero-impact buildings using locally sourced materials.

Built on steel and coal, Donetsk Oblast has a long history of industry, but now the region is looking to diversify its offerings. With investment opportunities in new technologies, tourism, logistics and warehousing, backed up by political will, the region looks set to prosper.

Dubai's economy has long been dependent on its real estate and tourism sectors but, in a bid to diversify, the emirate has started focusing on logistics, financial services and energy, with government-backed initiatives – including an airport city, a financial free zone and a new solar park – driving the rapid growth of each of these sectors.

Renewable energy is an increasingly convincing value proposition, not just for governments looking to become energy independent, but for private sector investors too.

As North America and Europe slow down, Sigieri Diaz Pallavicini, CEO of Greentech Energy Systems, says that the company must be selective with its investment and expand its focus to new geographies.

Ukraine has long been a sleeping giant of Europe. Strategically located with a large, skilled workforce and huge potential in the energy and agriculture sectors, foreign businesses are sitting up and taking notice of the country. All it needs is investment in basic infrastructure and logistics – and to press ahead with improvements to the investment environment.

Malaysia's excellent economic performance in recent years has come on the back of its Economic Transformation Programme. Its prime minister and finance minister Dato’ Sri Abdul Tun Najib Razak tells Barbara Njau how the programme has helped diversify the country's economy, which has continued to thrive while much of the rest of the world has struggled.

Figures show that renewable energy was the fastest growing sector for FDI in 2011, while the number of projects in the coal, oil and natural gas sector declined.