Charles W Donovan

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 by Lord Brown and contributions from some of the world's leading experts in energy finance, this timely book documents how investors are spending over US250 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.