Green bonds have the potential to unlock vast new sums of capital for the deployment of solar and other low-carbon infrastructure. Katie House looks at how a relatively new concept is rapidly evolving into a potentially major source of clean energy finance.
Tim Buckley, director of energy finance studies, Australasia, Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), explains how significant this loan is for India and what else will be driving the targeted US$100 billion solar investment by 2022.
The latest report from the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), an investor-focused non-profit organisation, found that of the US$694 billion of climate bonds outstanding in 2016, energy accounted for 19% at US$130 billion, exemplifying a push in investment for renewable energy projects.
The largest Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) bond securitisation has been completed. The securitisation, HERO 2016-2, includes US$305,313,000 in Class A Notes, secured by 13,432 PACE assessments levied on residential properties in 31 counties across the state of California.
Tech giant Apple has said that solar and energy storage projects will be among the priorities for expenditure under its inaugural green bond, which the company issued earlier in the week to the tune of US$1.5 billion.
Rajnesh Trivedi, senior director, sustainable investment banking at Yes Bank India, discusses how Green Bonds can alleviate the major obstacles of financing for renewables in the subcontinent.
The December climate deal in Paris is set to trigger a surge in the global green bond market, with issuances expected to surpass US$50 billion this year, rating agency Moody’s has said.
India’s fifth largest private sector bank YES Bank plans to list a Green Bond of up to US$500 million on The London Stock Exchange by December this year.
