At a renewable energy conference in Bonn, officials said its strategy was designed to ensure that alternative energy sources were seen as economically viable.

"We are convinced more than ever that the transition to a cleaner energy future will be won project by project, village by village and nation by nation," World Bank Group managing director Peter Woicke said in a statement here.

He said the increased lending would effectively double the Bank's current pace of roughly 200 million dollars per year by 2010.

The move still needs the approval of the Bank's board of directors.

The conference in Bonn is one of the most ambitious meetings ever held on wind, solar, hydro, biofuels and hydrogen.

It is due to wrap up Friday with a political declaration by ministers and senior officials from more than 150 countries, and there will also be a bulky "action plan" spelling out a vision for increasing renewables' share of the world energy mix.

According to the World Bank statement, it has been the largest lender for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in developing nations since 1990, investing more than six billion dollars in resources it manages itself, and mobilising more than 10 billion from other public and private sources.

TERRA.WIRE