Transforming the global energy system calls for massive mobilisation of capital. This brief provides recommendations to harness institutional investment for renewable energy projects.

This report develops a framework that classifies investments according to different types of financial instruments and investment funds, and highlights the techniques that intermediaries can use to mobilise institutionally held capital.

The future of clean energy is no longer about science and technology; it's all about access to finance. The fossil fuel industry has been subsidized for decades with tax breaks and government backing, while renewables have struggled to compete. But now clean energy is the safe bet for investors, as is argued in Renewable Energy Finance: Powering the Future, edited by Dr Charles Donovan, Principal Teaching Fellow at Imperial College Business School. With a Foreword writer Lord Brown and contributions from some of the world's leading experts in energy finance, this timely book documents how investors are spending over US$250 billion each year on new renewable energy projects and positioning themselves in a global investment market that will continue to expand at double-digit growth rates until 2020. It documents first-hand experiences of the challenges of balancing risk and return amid volatile market conditions and rapid shifts in government policy. Renewable Energy Finance provides an insider's perspective on renewable energy transactions, and insight into how countries like the US, India and China are responding to the global energy challenge. Drawing together contributions from senior executives and leading academics, Renewable Energy Finance serves an audience of readers craving intelligent, practical perspectives on the future of clean energy investment. Contents:Section I:Introduction to Renewable Energy Finance (Charles Donovan)The Clean Energy Imperative (Jim Skea)How Much Renewable Energy Will the Global Economy Need? (Guy Turner)Investor-Specific Cost of Capital and Renewable Energy Investment Decisions (Thorsten Helms, Sarah Salm & Rolf Wüstenhagen)Section II:Markets, Governments and Renewable Electricity (Richard Green)The Impact of Government Policies on Renewable Energy Investment (Gireesh Shrimali)Mobilizing Private Sector Capital in Developing Countries (Alexandre Chavarot & Matthew Konieczny)Renewable Energy Finance in China (Philip Andrews-Speed & Sufang Zhang)Measuring the Carbon Delta of Investment Performance (Celine McInerney & Derek Bunn)Section III:The Growing Role for Private Equity (Brian Potskowski & Chris Hunt)Project Finance and the Supply of Credit from Commercial Banks (Alejandro Ciruelos Alonso)The Untapped Potential of Institutional Investors (David Nelson)The Spectacular Growth of Solar PV Leasing (Bruce Usher & Albert Gore)Crowdfunding: Ready for the Big Leagues? (Karl Harder & Sam Friggens) Readership: Advance economics undergraduates and postgraduates undertaking modules in Environmental and Energy economics. Finance students undertaking Energy Finance modules. Researchers and interested financial professionals looking for a reference volume on clean energy investing. Keywords:Renewable Energy;Clean Energy Finance;Solar Energy Financing

Global investments in renewables must grow faster to meet climate goals. This report provides recommendations to scale up investment and mobilise capital.

Foreword by Lord Browne of MadingleyReviews of the First Edition:'The entire text is quite readable and can be moved through with relative ease. This reviewer heartily recommends that, regardless of your background, you read this book to really get a grasp of the cutting-edge of climate finance.'LSE Review of BooksRenewable Energy Finance (Second Edition) describes in rich detail current best practices and evolving trends in clean energy investing. With contributions by some of the world's leading experts in energy finance, the book documents how investors are spending over $300 billion each year on financing renewable energy and positioning themselves in a growing global investment market. This second edition documents, with practical examples, the ways in which investors have funded over $2.6 trillion in solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects over the past decade. The book will be a go-to reference manual for understanding the factors that shape risk and return in renewable energy, the world's fastest growing industrial sector. The book is suitable for executives new to the field, as well as advanced business students.Edited by Dr Charles Donovan, Principal Teaching Fellow at Imperial College Business School and formerly Head of Structuring and Valuation for Global Power at BP, the book will give readers a unique insiders' perspective on how renewable energy deals actually get done.

Renewables have emerged as a major recipient of green bond proceeds. This brief highlights the need for more green bonds to drive sustainable, climate safe, energy finance.

This report provides the first comprehensive study of publically capitalised green investment banks (GIBs), analysing the rationales, mandates and financing activities of this relatively new category of public financial institution that aims to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.