Finance

Investing in infrastructure, renewables technology and efficiency to speed up the energy transition

14 min
01/December/2022

Not a silver bullet

 Carbon prices at sufficiently high levels can push firms to internalise the costs of greenhouse gas emissions while providing a long-term price signal to drive investments needed for decarbonisation. Emission trading systems and carbon taxes feature in a growing number of climate strategies, but even the most well-designed instruments must be accompanied by other policy measures if emissions reductions goals are to be reached
15 min
10/November/2022

Convincing Big Oil to pay for the energy transition

 Oil and gas companies are making a ton of cash by selling fossil fuels that are destroying our future. Could the industry instead be spending lavishly to make amends? It turns out things are not so simple
10 min
08/July/2022

The cleantech funding conundrum

 Investors are desperate to put money into sustainable ventures, but entrepreneurs trying to bring novel cleantech concepts to market complain about a lack of funding. Without support, Europe could risk a brain drain in cleantech innovation
10 min
20/May/2022

The $100 billion climate finance question

 Finance for development initiatives in emerging markets is intrinsically tied to climate change—from new roads and energy infrastructure to transportation and new buildings. Yet despite the billions of dollars in overseas development assistance funding, the promised $100 billion of new and additional climate finance by 2020 has failed to materialise
11 min
22/April/2022

Sovereign wealth funds wade into the energy transition

 Significant investment power is held within a few state-owned reserves but these conservative sovereign funds are only just beginning to notice the potential returns of clean energy after decades of profiting from fossil fuels
12 min
08/April/2022

Clarity is the key to confidence in voluntary carbon markets

 Voluntary carbon offset schemes could significantly help attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions if their effectiveness can be proven
10 min
04/March/2022

Venture capital takes a shine to the energy transition

 Venture capitalists are putting record amounts of money into climate tech, drawn by the opportunity to make money while fostering the innovation needed for decarbonisation. Digitalisation remains a focus, but investors are increasingly looking to tap into asset-heavy investment opportunities that are crucial to the energy transition
12 min
18/February/2022

Fiscal reform may make or break EU green hearts

 A review of the European Union’s fiscal rules in 2022 could open the door for massive public investments into the energy transition. A political fight over the direction of that amendment will dictate just how ambitious Europe can afford to be with its green policies
3 min
12/January/2022

Our top ten from 2021

 Take a read of our most popular articles from 2021
10 min
30/September/2021

More accurate energy certificates can drive green investment

 Time-stamped certificates would allow customers to know where their power is coming from at any given time and could provide another signal for investors by driving up prices for green energy certificates when supply is short. Regulators are taking steps to ensure that consumers signing up for green tariffs are really helping to progress the energy transition
8 min.
20/May/2021

Coal-for-renewables finance model raises doubts

 The model of taking coal plants offline in exchange for renewable energy finance is growing in popularity with a concessional funding version underway in Chile. But experts are concerned the incentives could be unnecessary and may even encourage some plants to stay online
14 min.
13/January/2021

Why hydrogen trains are tracking hot

 Hydrogen suffers from an abundance of hype, particularly about what it can be used for in the energy transition. Wild claims for the application of hydrogen, with little basis in current science and commercial reality, have worked to obscure the realistic opportunities for putting truly clean hydrogen to work here and now
7 min.
02/October/2020

New finance model swaps coal for renewables

 A finance mechanism that retires coal power stations and replaces them with new renewable energy capacity is gathering steam in the United States. But challenges remain in making this seemingly simple solution mainstream
6 min.
25/September/2020

Insuring a renewable future

 As the clean energy industry forges ahead into new markets, sometimes with technologies yet to stand the test of time, conditions for obtaining insurance for renewable energy facilities have tightened significantly, particularly for the increasing number of projects built in areas susceptible to natural disasters
6 min.
29/June/2020

How Covid-19 could supercharge the green bond market

 Work on mobilising the global bond market to finance the low carbon transition has received an unexpected boost at the hands of the Covid-19 pandemic. Green bond issues are vastly oversubscribed as investors show a clear preference for putting their money into shifting society in a new and better direction
6 min.
22/June/2020

The role of philanthropic foundations in advancing clean energy

 A big part of speeding up the move away from fossil fuels is scaling up innovation and technology. With an appetite for riskier projects, philanthropic foundations could play an important role in raising some much needed cash
11 min.
11/June/2020

Central banks swept up in climate action debate

 Many believe the ECB and other central banks should bring climate considerations into the rulebook governing what they support and how
12 min.
01/June/2020

Development banks struggle with fossil fuel lock-in

 The world’s development banks are funnelling ever-greater volumes of finance into clean energy — but the challenge of shifting entire economies away from climate-wrecking activity and towards actions that align investment goals with those of the Paris Agreement requires a more holistic approach
9 min.
25/May/2020

Staying committed to renewables makes investment sense

 Despite the massive economic downfall as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, there remains strong demand for renewable energy assets, suggesting the sector will not suffer as it did after the 2008 recession
10 min.
27/April/2020

Getting the finance to flow

 To create demand for sustainable finance, governments should integrate climate criteria into their procurement and in how they draft policies and regulations
6 min.
23/April/2020

Responsible investors see greater role after pandemic

 Investors taking ESG issues into account are increasingly examining future scenarios, particularly around climate change
9 min.
05/December/2019

Green finance accelerates energy transition

 The Green Bank Network has committed almost $15 billion of predominantly public capital to mobilise a total of $50 billion towards the low-carbon transition
9 min.
31/October/2019

Putting principles before profit?

 Expectations are high that the Principles for Sustainable Banking can push banks to change their balance sheets and businesses in line with climate action and other big societal issues
3 min.
06/September/2019

Robin Hood tax

 Taking from the richer to pay for buses and trains for the poorer
13 min.
04/September/2019

Cities get creative on climate financing

 Energy Cities, a European association of local authorities, estimates a city will need between €1 billion and €3 billion to reach net zero emissions by 2050
9 min.
It is increasingly apparent that failing to support workers and communities on the losing side of the low-carbon transition will not only be unjust, it may derail the whole process. Decisions need to be made about where the money will come from to finance retraining for new jobs and provide social safety nets while the transition takes place15/July/2019

Underwriting a just transition

 The finance sector will play a crucial role in the clean energy transition and has a strong incentive to get involved
5 min.
More and better data is needed to help reorient capital flows towards more sustainable investments13/March/2019

EU takes investors to task over climate change

 More and better data is needed to help reorient capital flows towards more sustainable investments
10 min.
Banks in Europe claim they are comfortable with lending to renewable energy projects financed on the back of corporate power purchase agreements, but only if the purchaser is a large entity or utility16/January/2019

Small is not always beautiful

 Banks in Europe claim they are comfortable with lending to renewable energy projects financed on the back of corporate power purchase agreements, but only if the purchaser is a large entity or utility
8-9 min.
With the right regulations and better understanding of the advantages of wind and solar over other asset classes, investors can play a key role in speeding up the transition to a clean energy economy03/December/2018

Investors get creative to fund low carbon shift

 With the right regulations and better understanding of the advantages of wind and solar over other asset classes, investors can play a key role in speeding up the transition to a clean energy economy
8-9 min.
Banks lead green mortgage charge19/October/2018

Banks lead green mortgage charge

 Creating a financial market for energy efficiency in buildings through green mortgages could be the best way to ramp up building renovations and create a virtuous circle that benefits people, planet and profit
8-9 min.
12/October/2018

Investment in energy efficiency could be key to carbon tax success

 An ambitious tax on carbon emissions globally and the reinvestment of carbon revenues in energy efficiency could be game changers for the energy transition even if most countries still remain reluctant to entertain such ideas
6-7 min.
13/June/2018

A green investment boost or risk of a bubble?

 Discussions sparked by plans for banks in the EU to hold less capital against green lending have advanced thinking about how monetary authorities and regulators can support green investment, even if the plans themselves have received a mixed reception
12-13 min.
Building solar and wind projects without subsidies is seen by many as the solution to the energy transition. But falling costs can create their own problems, especially without the right regulation and continuing financial support for fossil fuels08/June/2018

Why saying goodbye to subsidies is hard to do

 Building solar and wind projects without subsidies is seen by many as the solution to the energy transition. But falling costs can create their own problems, especially without the right regulation and continuing financial support for fossil fuels
7-8 min.
13/April/2018

Boards feel the heat from investors on climate risk

 Mitigation of climate risk is moving to the top of the agenda for senior management and company boards
5-6 min.
07/July/2017

Investors hungry for offshore wind

 Once seen as exotic fare, offshore wind investments have become a staple diet for pension funds. New types of investor are moving their chairs up to the table
5-6 min.
04/July/2016

Innovative new models bring dividends

 Sophisticated financing raises institutional investor confidence in renewables
5-6 min.
02/July/2016

Redirecting the global flow of money

 Developing countries need around $300 billion annually by 2020 to limit their carbon emissions