Green & Ethical Investment News and Suggestions

Coastalwatch

There was mention of a combined wind and wave technology proposal on the Forum recently and coincidentally Marine Power Systems have secured £17.5m funding for their patented technology and are seeking to raise more on the Seedrs platform to assist in getting it into the Market place.

Positioned to capture the best of wind and wave energy to assist with a low carbon future. I don't believe a similar combination has successfully been tried before so an opportunity to get in on the ground floor for those of an adventurous nature.

Certainly not a recommendation, but it does have very green credentials so might just offer some minor support to help them on their way!

JKenH

It would seem that fossil fuels are not alone in feeling the pinch in this Covid era. John Laing Group today reported a decline in net asset value commenting 

We have also been impacted by the reduction in power prices through our renewable energy assets which represent c.34% of total portfolio value

https://www.sharesmagazine.co.uk/news/market/6984618/John-Laing-expects-single-digit-decline-in-net-assets-as-Covid-dents-investment-activity

John Laing no longer see wind and solar as a good investment, earlier this year indicating an intention to dispose of their renewable assets in Australia and withdraw from further investment in the sector focussing instead on hydrogen based technologies.

“We re-assessed the risk/return profile of standalone wind and solar generation assets during the second half and have decided that we will make no further new investments in this area,” Olivier Brousse, John Laing’s CEO, said. “In line with our business model, we are preparing our existing portfolio of wind and solar assets for sale in the short to medium term to take advantage of strong demand for operational renewable energy assets. We are instead focusing on the opportunities presented by the wider energy transition.”

When it comes to the wider energy transition, John Laing believes it is well-positioned to create better value for its shareholders by investing in technologies that enable high penetration of renewables, decarbonization of other sectors e.g. electrification of transport, and increased energy efficiency. As part of this effort, the company has joined the Hydrogen Council, a global group of industry and financial players focused on fostering the contribution of hydrogen-based technologies and solutions.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiS3eWbzavqAhU_VRUIHaQVAuYQFjAAegQIARAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pv-magazine-australia.com%2F2020%2F03%2F06%2Fjohn-laing-quits-solar-and-wind-saying-returns-no-longer-reflect-risk%2F&usg=AOvVaw0M2oXceFh6kvkwQQSj06xo

With a decade of experience in investing in wind and solar it does come as something of a surprise that John Laing are taking this step although if you are going to get out it seems logical to exit the market while asset prices are strong (overvalued?). 

Coastalwatch

Thought a little good news on the investing front wouldn't go amiss in these troubled times. In spite of the Lockdown bringing a halt to many industries I was delighted to find that all of the projects we invested in on the Abundance platform duly returned the anticipated sums into our account yesterday. One in particular, that of new quality build homes for people less fortunate than ourselves, must have experienced a difficult time since the new year.

Apparently the remaining projects had not been unduly impacted by C-19 and managed still to pass significant milestones along the way. Their returns ranged from 4 -5% for the six month period.

Obviously not a recommendation but does demonstrate that ESG investing can pay dividends together with doing good for the planet and mankind.

In contrast, our professionally run stocks and shares ISA is still struggling to show a surplus after three long years!

Martyn1981

Thanks CW, that reminded me to check, lots of returns for the 30th June (and the 9th of June). Now need to decide where to roll those over. The Marketplace seems a bit overpriced to me, people asking for too much, a throwback to the Covid crash I assume when people got scared of the stock market.
All G&E investments looking good, though I have to admit to being a tad distracted by Tesla's share price atm. Not sure my BEV company investments qualify as G&E, but all part of the fun, and the same end result of a cleaner, greener, smarter future.

JKenH

Martyn1981 said:

Thanks CW, that reminded me to check, lots of returns for the 30th June (and the 9th of June). Now need to decide where to roll those over. The Marketplace seems a bit overpriced to me, people asking for too much, a throwback to the Covid crash I assume when people got scared of the stock market.
All G&E investments looking good, though I have to admit to being a tad distracted by Tesla's share price atm. Not sure my BEV company investments qualify as G&E, but all part of the fun, and the same end result of a cleaner, greener, smarter future.

Why wouldn’t your BEV shares count as G&E? 

Probably not many bargain investments in RE schemes as (effectively being a utilities) unlike many other stocks they are perceived to have a secure income stream. 

Coastalwatch

When it comes to a new green deal then at least the Heads of Europe appear to be serious upon the matter. To date I can't actually recall anything of note coming from our side of the channel, other than building lots and lots more houses with sub standard efficiency rating. Oh, and allowing E Rental scooters onto our roads.

Happy to be advised otherwise of course.

I wonder if they'll turn out to be as successful as that other similar project from years back. Now what was it called.... the C5 or something!

European Council resists calls for Just Transition Fund cash to be available for gas and nuclear generation

An EU spokesperson has confirmed the heads of the bloc’s 27 member states have announced an intent to block any of the European Commission’s proposed €40 billion energy transition money being spent on gas or nuclear power facilities.

The commission has proposed pulling together a Just Transition Fund (JTF) to be spent helping regions dependent on fossil fuels transition to clean energy as part of its much-vaunted Green Deal for Europe. The fund would comprise €30 billion from the bloc’s coronavirus recovery fund and €10 billion from the EU budget for 2021-27, both of which are yet to be ratified.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/07/01/european-council-resists-calls-for-just-transition-fund-cash-to-be-available-for-gas-and-nuclear-generation/

Coastalwatch

Seedrs has given notice that it has launched fundraising for Gively, a startup, that is hoping to raise £70k to assist in broadening the horizons of its App to assist in the free recycling of goods no longer required rather than sending them to the tip.

They are offering 4% Equity in return with minimum investment of £11.20.

Not a recommendation, just notification!

The need for Gively has never been greater. Consumers, governments and businesses are waking up to the fact that more needs to be done halt the relentless waste of natural resources. COVID-19 has pushed millions into hardship. Gively is the answer to both these urgent issues.

Gively is an online marketplace where users can give and request unwanted items for free. Their mission is to make giving mainstream and save millions of items from landfill.

Consumers are already changing their behaviour for the better, and are feeding a growing circular economy. Gively is perfectly placed to ride the wave of increased demand for sustainable consumption. They recently won an SME grant worth £10,000 of television advertising in July and were selected from thousands of applicants as a business who "demonstrated true resolve and ingenuity". This is set to supercharge their acquisition and engagement numbers in 2020.

Martyn1981

I think this has been mentioned before (not sure), but here's an update of a new Abundance offering in about 2 weeks time.

Update: West Berkshire Council investment launch confirmed for 16 July

A year ago today, West Berkshire Council unanimously decided to declare a climate emergency. And today we can announce that the launch of their first Community Municipal Investment (CMI) has been confirmed for 16 July – just two weeks away.

This new investment will be the first of its kind in the UK, and will let you directly invest in West Berkshire Council to deliver new rooftop solar power in the area. You will get a long term, low risk return, and also help the council deliver on its climate action targets. We will be announcing more details about the financial aspects of these new investments next week, so keep an eye out for more details.

How this investment will make a positive impact

By investing in this CMI you will be making sure that some of the first pounds invested as we recover from the coronavirus outbreak are green ones. West Berkshire has ambitious environmental plans, including the goal for the district to become carbon neutral by 2030 – twenty years ahead of the government target.

This first investment will specifically fund rooftop solar on council buildings. Work is already underway to install solar panels on the roof of a storage unit at Greenham Common – an important open space for local people. Further installations are planned at the council’s own HQ at Market Street in Newbury, as well as schools and other local council facilities. Overall the target is for 60% of the energy generated to be used on site.

joefizz

Martyn1981 said:

Thanks CW, that reminded me to check, lots of returns for the 30th June (and the 9th of June). Now need to decide where to roll those over. The Marketplace seems a bit overpriced to me, people asking for too much,

..and getting it! Cant believe what some of my slices went for - I wasnt greedy but people got carried away and I was surprised when the deals went through in the end, but hey DYOR etc.
I mentioned over on the Uskmouth thread that Ive bailed out of Abundance this week. IFISA interest and covidbucks looking a home so Ive locked in my profits and got my money out. Return of the money, not return on the money.

Perfect time to liquidate, between a lot of cash floating around and waiting on new launches.

This is no reflection on what I think of abundance but I tend to set myself a limit to profits, then take them and move on. This was just the perfect time to do this for me.

JKenH

https://www.hl.co.uk/shares/shares-search-results/f/foresight-solar-fund-ordinary-npv

This is the share price/net asset value chart for the Foresight Solar fund (an investment trust) from the Hargreaves Lansdown website. You can use the link to select alternative time periods.

The share price and net asset value has diverged significantly over the last year as investors seek somewhere green and ethical to park their money (the Greta Thunberg effect?) and the asset values of old solar installations fall.