This text was first published in the Financial Times here
Even in the midst of this year’s coronavirus pandemic, Bernhard Stöckl still saw the potential for attracting investors to his renewable energy venture.
The chief executive of Austrian renewable energy company Photovoltaik Leitinger started crowdfunding for his “bifacial” solar panel fence, which collects sun energy from two sides and produces up to 10 per cent more energy than its conventional counterparts. “We expected renewables to gain momentum during this crisis — and our investors agreed,” he says.
The transition to clean energy is dominated by big companies and large-scale public projects aimed at delivering low-carbon power at scale. Yet many individual citizens are keen to do their part in achieving climate targets by backing and installing small-scale renewable kit.
Crowdfunding can get green energy projects off the ground and democratise the energy transition. At the same time, these platforms function differently from traditional investments and carry different types of risks for retail investors.
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