Renewable energy investment ‘has never been as abundant as it is now,’ despite 2022 economic downturn, declares Giannis Komitas to green infrastructure chief Chris Caldwell of United Renewables Ltd in wake of IEA report
Whilst 2022 has seen large falls in asset values across global financial markets – a consequence of persistent inflation and rising interest rates – clean energy infrastructure remains an attractive destination for investors, with record-high inflows year-to-date, according to industry executives from United Renewables and National Energy Holdings.
Green investment widening across sectors – National Energy Holdings executive
‘Funding has never been as abundant. Everybody wants to go into renewables, and it's not just the folks that you've been traditionally expecting to see there,’ reports Giannis Komitas, COO of National Energy Holdings, a global green infrastructure investment platform with more than 3 gigawatts of capacity projects in development.
‘Decarbonisation being a broad agenda…more players want to get a piece of the pie,’ as resistant industries increasingly recognise carbon as a potential financial liability in the wake of government action such as the US Inflation Reduction Act.
Komitas – who has over a decade’s experience managing clean energy projects in both operations and investment – announced his findings in conversation with Chris Caldwell, CEO of energy developer United Renewables and host of Conversations on Climate, in an episode released on 7th October 2022. Their findings are further evidence of the continued strength of green energy in 2022, following the release of the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Investment 2022 report.
The study shows energy investment reaching a record $2.4 trillion, with clean energy accounting for three-quarters of the growth in this investment year-on-year to top $1.4 trillion.
Green investment uneven, globally
Komitas and Caldwell’s reports from inside the industry also support the IEA’s findings that the pace of renewable investment remains heavily skewed towards the developing world and China. When asked whether he would consider expanding into markets in the Global South as value is compressed in Europe and North America, Komitas replied, ‘the short answer for the company I work with is that this is not a priority for us. We still believe that Europe has a way to go, as does the US.’
Caldwell agreed, noting that investment in Africa was ‘much more difficult,’ even as other developing regions such as South America see rising inflows of capital. According to the IEA, clean energy spending remains stuck at 2015 levels in developing economies beyond China, with half of investment in these economies registered by state-owned enterprises.
Conversations on Climate is a podcast produced by United Renewables and London Business School, which offers a platform for globally-recognised academics and industry leaders to share their reflections on climate change and the renewable energy market. Previous guests have included Ramez Nasser of Energisme and Riccardo Gubbioli of Brilliant Planet.
The episode, featuring Giannis Komitas of National Energy Holdings, has been released with the preview of the conversation available here, the full interview can be found here.
Conversations on Climate brings world-leading thinkers from business and academia together to share their expertise on the subject of climate change. Previous guests include Sir Andrew Likierman, Julio Dal Poz, and Professor Jean-Pierre Benoît.
