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Shared Ownership Investment in Renewable Energy
Key Takeaways
- Energea is a U.S.-based platform that enables investors to buy equity shares in a renewable energy projects portfolio based in Delaware.
- Raise Green is a crowdfunding platform that offers the opportunity to invest in sustainable solutions, including solar, storage, energy efficiency, and other clean energy initiatives in the U.S.
- Based in The Netherlands and established in 2010, Windcentrale operates a 'wind sharing' model that offers shared ownership of windmills.
Introduction
This report provides a list of five platforms that offer shared ownership in renewable energy projects in the U.S. and the EU. Crowdfunding platforms that allow multiple people to invest in a renewable energy project have also been included. As explained in the Research Strategy section, the research team had to expand to include EU-based platforms due to the lack of platforms specific to the U.S. While Energea and Raise Green are U.S.-based platforms, Citizenergy, ZonnepanelenDelen, and Windcentrale are EU-based platforms.
Selected Findings
1. Energea
- Energea is a U.S.-based platform that enables investors to buy equity shares in a renewable energy projects portfolio based in Delaware. The profit generated from the sale of the electricity produced from the projects is distributed among investors proportionally. Currently, Energea manages two operational solar projects generating 299 kW and 545 kW of energy. A new 2.7-MW project is still in development.
2. Raise Green
- Raise Green is a crowdfunding platform that offers the opportunity to invest in sustainable solutions, including solar, storage, energy efficiency, and other clean energy initiatives in the U.S. One such solar energy project of New Hampshire Solar Garden aims to raise a minimum of $500 per investor with an expected return of 6.5% interest.
3. Citizenergy
- Citizenergy describes itself as the first platform in the European Union to promote cross-border investment in sustainable energy and provide information on crowdfunding opportunities. The platform offers investment opportunities in solar, wind, biomass, hydro, geothermal, and other projects. Netherland's Windvogel (wind and solar) is an example of a funded renewable energy project.
4. ZonnepanelenDelen
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) describes ZonnepanelenDelen (WeShareSolar) as the "largest crowdfunding platform in the EU for community solar projects." So far, the platform has facilitated the installation of 15,000 solar panels by helping to crowdfund €3.0 million. Zonnepark Harderwold is an example of an upcoming solar project crowdfunded on the platform.
5. Windcentrale
- Based in The Netherlands and established in 2010, Windcentrale operates a 'wind sharing' model that offers shared ownership of windmills. Windmills are divided into pieces known as 'wind parts,' each generating an average annual electricity output of 500 kWh from wind energy. Investors make a one-time purchase of one or more wind parts and own them for as long as the windmill operates.
Research Strategy
The research team identified Energea and Raise Green as relevant platforms that offer shared ownership in renewable energy projects in the United States. We also found an additional platform called Mosaic in a 2014 list. However, further research established that the platform has since shifted to financing sustainable home improvement projects. Browsing through several lists did not produce any additional results for the United States. Therefore, we have extended our findings to include EU-based platforms.