IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v127y2018icp8-22.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Financing renewable energy: Who is financing what and why it matters

Author

Listed:
  • Mazzucato, Mariana
  • Semieniuk, Gregor

Abstract

Successful financing of innovation in renewable energy (RE) requires a better understanding of the relationship between different types of finance and their willingness to invest in RE. We study the ‘direction’ of innovation that financial actors create. Focusing on the deployment phase of innovation, we use Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) data to construct a global dataset of RE asset finance flows from 2004 to 2014. We analyze the asset portfolios of different RE technologies financed by different financial actors according to their size, skew and level of risk. We use entropy-based indices to measure skew, and construct a heuristic index of risk that varies with the technology, time, and country of investment to measure risk. We start by comparing the behavior of private and public types of finance and then disaggregate further along 11 different financial actors (e.g. private banks, public banks, and utilities) and 11 types of RE technologies that are invested in (e.g. different kinds of power generation from solar radiation, wind or biomass). Financial actors vary considerably in the composition of their investment portfolio, creating directions towards particular technologies. Public financial actors invest in portfolios with higher risk technologies, also creating a direction; they also increased their share in total investment dramatically over time. We use these preliminary results to formulate new research questions about how finance affects the directionality of innovation, and the implications for RE policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Mazzucato, Mariana & Semieniuk, Gregor, 2018. "Financing renewable energy: Who is financing what and why it matters," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 8-22.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:127:y:2018:i:c:p:8-22
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2017.05.021
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162517306820
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.05.021?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ramana Nanda & William R. Kerr, 2015. "Financing Innovation," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 7(1), pages 445-462, December.
    2. Auerswald, Philip E & Branscomb, Lewis M, 2003. "Valleys of Death and Darwinian Seas: Financing the Invention to Innovation Transition in the United States," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 28(3-4), pages 227-239, August.
    3. Daron Acemoglu & Ufuk Akcigit & Douglas Hanley & William Kerr, 2016. "Transition to Clean Technology," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 124(1), pages 52-104.
    4. G. M.P. Swann, 2009. "The Economics of Innovation," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13211.
    5. Arthur, W Brian, 1989. "Competing Technologies, Increasing Returns, and Lock-In by Historical Events," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(394), pages 116-131, March.
    6. Andrea Masini & Emanuela Menichetti, 2013. "Investment decisions in the renewable energy sector: An analysis of non-financial drivers," Post-Print hal-00796331, HAL.
    7. Polzin, Friedemann & Migendt, Michael & Täube, Florian A. & von Flotow, Paschen, 2015. "Public policy influence on renewable energy investments—A panel data study across OECD countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 98-111.
    8. Mariana Mazzucato & L. Randall Wray, 2015. "Financing the Capital Development of the Economy: A Keynes-Schumpeter-Minsky Synthesis," LEM Papers Series 2015/14, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    9. Victoria Shestalova & Chiara Criscuolo & Nick Johnstone & Carlo Menon, 2014. "Renewable energy policies and cross-border investment: evidence from M&A in solar and wind energy," CPB Discussion Paper 288, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    10. Mariana Mazzucato & Caetano C.R. Penna, 2016. "Beyond market failures: the market creating and shaping roles of state investment banks," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 19(4), pages 305-326, October.
    11. Andy Stirling, 2007. "A General Framework for Analysing Diversity in Science, Technology and Society," SPRU Working Paper Series 156, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    12. Mariana Mazzucato, 2016. "From market fixing to market-creating: a new framework for innovation policy," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 140-156, February.
    13. Gregor Semieniuk, 2016. "Fossil energy in economic growth: A study of the energy direction of technical change, 1950-2012," SPRU Working Paper Series 2016-11, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    14. David, Paul A, 1985. "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 332-337, May.
    15. Stephen A. Ross, 2013. "The Arbitrage Theory of Capital Asset Pricing," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 1, pages 11-30, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    16. Criscuolo, Chiara & Menon, Carlo, 2015. "Environmental policies and risk finance in the green sector: Cross-country evidence," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 38-56.
    17. Samuel Kortum & Josh Lerner, 2000. "Assessing the Contribution of Venture Capital to Innovation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 31(4), pages 674-692, Winter.
    18. Owen, Geoffrey & Hopkins, Michael M., 2016. "Science, the State and the City: Britain's Struggle to Succeed in Biotechnology," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198728009.
    19. Mariana Mazzucato & Caetano Penna, 2015. "The Rise of Mission-Oriented State Investment Banks: The Cases of Germany’s KfW and Brazil’s BNDES," SPRU Working Paper Series 2015-26, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    20. Jaffe, Adam B. & Newell, Richard G. & Stavins, Robert N., 2005. "A tale of two market failures: Technology and environmental policy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(2-3), pages 164-174, August.
    21. Hall, Bronwyn H. & Lerner, Josh, 2010. "The Financing of R&D and Innovation," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 609-639, Elsevier.
    22. Andrea Masini & Emanuela Menichetti, 2013. "Investment Decisions in the Renewable Energy Sector: An Analysis of Non-Financial Drivers," Working Papers hal-01947453, HAL.
    23. Tietjen, Oliver & Pahle, Michael & Fuss, Sabine, 2016. "Investment risks in power generation: A comparison of fossil fuel and renewable energy dominated markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 174-185.
    24. George, Gerard & Prabhu, Ganesh N., 2003. "Developmental financial institutions as technology policy instruments: implications for innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging economies," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 89-108, January.
    25. James R. Brown & Steven M. Fazzari & Bruce C. Petersen, 2009. "Financing Innovation and Growth: Cash Flow, External Equity, and the 1990s R&D Boom," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(1), pages 151-185, February.
    26. Mariana Mazzucato & Gregor Semieniuk, 2017. "Public financing of innovation: new questions," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(1), pages 24-48.
    27. Masini, Andrea & Menichetti , Emanuela, 2013. "Investment Decisions in the Renewable Energy Sector: An Analysis of Non-Financial Drivers," HEC Research Papers Series 976, HEC Paris.
    28. repec:zbw:bofrdp:urn:nbn:fi:bof-201512141480 is not listed on IDEAS
    29. Masini, Andrea & Menichetti, Emanuela, 2012. "The impact of behavioural factors in the renewable energy investment decision making process: Conceptual framework and empirical findings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 28-38.
    30. Harry Markowitz, 1952. "Portfolio Selection," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 7(1), pages 77-91, March.
    31. Nemet, Gregory F. & Kammen, Daniel M., 2007. "U.S. energy research and development: Declining investment, increasing need, and the feasibility of expansion," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 746-755, January.
    32. Stern, Nicholas, 2015. "Why Are We Waiting? The Logic, Urgency, and Promise of Tackling Climate Change," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262029189, April.
    33. Anil Bera & Sung Park, 2008. "Optimal Portfolio Diversification Using the Maximum Entropy Principle," Econometric Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4-6), pages 484-512.
    34. Stirling, Andy, 2010. "Multicriteria diversity analysis: A novel heuristic framework for appraising energy portfolios," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 1622-1634, April.
    35. K. J. Arrow, 1971. "The Economic Implications of Learning by Doing," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: F. H. Hahn (ed.), Readings in the Theory of Growth, chapter 11, pages 131-149, Palgrave Macmillan.
    36. Andy Stirling, 2010. "Keep it complex," Nature, Nature, vol. 468(7327), pages 1029-1031, December.
    37. Andrea Masini & E. Menichetti, 2012. "The impact of behavioural factors in the renewable energy investment decision making process: Conceptual framework and empirical findings," Post-Print hal-00651706, HAL.
    38. Bronwyn Hall, 2004. "The financing of research and development," Chapters, in: Anthony Bartzokas & Sunil Mani (ed.), Financial Systems, Corporate Investment in Innovation, and Venture Capital, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    39. Sterlacchini, Alessandro, 2012. "Energy R&D in private and state-owned utilities: An analysis of the major world electric companies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 494-506.
    40. Shikhar Ghosh & Ramana Nanda, 2010. "Venture Capital Investment in the Clean Energy Sector," Harvard Business School Working Papers 11-020, Harvard Business School.
    41. Margarita Kalamova & Christopher Kaminker & Nick Johnstone, 2011. "Sources of Finance, Investment Policies and Plant Entry in the Renewable Energy Sector," OECD Environment Working Papers 37, OECD Publishing.
    42. Cozzi, Giovanni & Griffith-Jones, Stephany, 2015. "Investment-led growth: a solution to the European crisis," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 14062, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    43. Grubler, Arnulf, 2012. "Energy transitions research: Insights and cautionary tales," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 8-16.
    44. Mariana Mazzucato & Caetano C.R. Penna, 2016. "Beyond market failures: the market creating and shaping roles of state investment banks," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(4), pages 305-326, October.
    45. Victoria Shestalova & Chiara Criscuolo & Nick Johnstone & Carlo Menon, 2014. "Renewable energy policies and cross-border investment: evidence from M&A in solar and wind energy," CPB Discussion Paper 288.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    46. repec:zbw:bofrdp:2015_028 is not listed on IDEAS
    47. Sheila C. Dow, 2012. "Foundations for New Economic Thinking," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-00072-9, March.
    48. Miguel Cárdenas Rodríguez & Ivan Haščič & Nick Johnstone & Jérôme Silva & Antoine Ferey, 2014. "Inducing Private Finance for Renewable Energy Projects: Evidence from Micro-Data," OECD Environment Working Papers 67, OECD Publishing.
    49. Andy Stirling, 2014. "Transforming Power: social science and the politics of energy choices," SPRU Working Paper Series 2014-03, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    50. Masini, Andrea & Menichetti, Emanuela, 2013. "Investment decisions in the renewable energy sector: An analysis of non-financial drivers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 510-524.
    51. Szabó, Sándor & Jäger-Waldau, Arnulf & Szabó, László, 2010. "Risk adjusted financial costs of photovoltaics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 3807-3819, July.
    52. Lazonick, William & Tulum, Öner, 2011. "US biopharmaceutical finance and the sustainability of the biotech business model," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(9), pages 1170-1187.
    53. Mariana Mazzucato, 2013. "Financing innovation: creative destruction vs. destructive creation," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 22(4), pages 851-867, August.
    54. Ivan Haščič & Miguel Cárdenas Rodríguez & Raphaël Jachnik & Jérôme Silva & Nick Johnstone, 2015. "Public Interventions and Private Climate Finance Flows: Empirical Evidence from Renewable Energy Financing," OECD Environment Working Papers 80, OECD Publishing.
    55. Sheila C. Dow & Alexander Dow, 2012. "Animal Spirits and Rationality," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Foundations for New Economic Thinking, chapter 3, pages 33-51, Palgrave Macmillan.
    56. Sagar, Ambuj D. & van der Zwaan, Bob, 2006. "Technological innovation in the energy sector: R&D, deployment, and learning-by-doing," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(17), pages 2601-2608, November.
    57. Bergek, Anna & Mignon, Ingrid & Sundberg, Gunnel, 2013. "Who invests in renewable electricity production? Empirical evidence and suggestions for further research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 568-581.
    58. Langniss, Ole, 1996. "Instruments to foster renewable energy investments in Europe a survey under the financial point of view," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 1112-1115.
    59. Mariana Mazzucato, 2015. "The Green Entrepreneurial State," SPRU Working Paper Series 2015-28, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    60. Mundaca, Luis & Luth Richter, Jessika, 2015. "Assessing ‘green energy economy’ stimulus packages: Evidence from the U.S. programs targeting renewable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1174-1186.
    61. Foray, D. & Mowery, D.C. & Nelson, R.R., 2012. "Public R&D and social challenges: What lessons from mission R&D programs?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(10), pages 1697-1702.
    62. Veugelers, Reinhilde, 2012. "Which policy instruments to induce clean innovating?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(10), pages 1770-1778.
    63. Merton, Robert C, 1969. "Lifetime Portfolio Selection under Uncertainty: The Continuous-Time Case," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 51(3), pages 247-257, August.
    64. Chiara Criscuolo & Nick Johnstone & Carlo Menon & Victoria Shestalova, 2014. "Renewable Energy Policies and Cross-border Investment: Evidence from Mergers and Acquisitions in Solar and Wind Energy," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2014/3, OECD Publishing.
    65. Popp, David & Hascic, Ivan & Medhi, Neelakshi, 2011. "Technology and the diffusion of renewable energy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 648-662, July.
    66. Eyraud, Luc & Clements, Benedict & Wane, Abdoul, 2013. "Green investment: Trends and determinants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 852-865.
    67. Wüstenhagen, Rolf & Menichetti, Emanuela, 2012. "Strategic choices for renewable energy investment: Conceptual framework and opportunities for further research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-10.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Polzin, Friedemann, 2017. "Mobilizing private finance for low-carbon innovation – A systematic review of barriers and solutions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 525-535.
    2. Pereira, Guillermo Ivan & Niesten, Eva & Pinkse, Jonatan, 2022. "Sustainable energy systems in the making: A study on business model adaptation in incumbent utilities," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    3. Corrocher, Nicoletta & Cappa, Elisabetta, 2020. "The Role of public interventions in inducing private climate finance: An empirical analysis of the solar energy sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    4. Darmani, Anna, 2015. "Renewable energy investors in Sweden: A cross-subsector analysis of dynamic capabilities," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 46-57.
    5. Zhang, Fang, 2023. "Does not having an NDB disadvantage a country in finance mobilization for the energy transition? A comparative analysis of the solar PV deployment in the United States, Germany and China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    6. Deleidi, Matteo & Mazzucato, Mariana & Semieniuk, Gregor, 2020. "Neither crowding in nor out: Public direct investment mobilising private investment into renewable electricity projects," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    7. Geraldine Ang & Dirk Röttgers & Pralhad Burli, 2017. "The empirics of enabling investment and innovation in renewable energy," OECD Environment Working Papers 123, OECD Publishing.
    8. Abiola John Asaleye & Charity Aremu & Adedoyin Isola Lawal & Adeyemi A. Ogundipe & Henry Inegbedion & Olabisi Popoola & Adewara Sunday & Olusegun Barnabas Obasaju, 2019. "Oil Price Shock and Macroeconomic Performance in Nigeria: Implication on Employment," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 9(5), pages 451-457.
    9. Salm, Sarah & Wüstenhagen, Rolf, 2018. "Dream team or strange bedfellows? Complementarities and differences between incumbent energy companies and institutional investors in Swiss hydropower," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 476-487.
    10. Nadia Ameli & Paul Drummond & Alexander Bisaro & Michael Grubb & Hugues Chenet, 2020. "Climate finance and disclosure for institutional investors: why transparency is not enough," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 160(4), pages 565-589, June.
    11. Heiskanen, Eva & Jalas, Mikko & Juntunen, Jouni K. & Nissilä, Heli, 2017. "Small streams, diverse sources: Who invests in renewable energy in Finland during the financial downturn?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 191-200.
    12. Curtin, Joseph & McInerney, Celine & Ó Gallachóir, Brian, 2017. "Financial incentives to mobilise local citizens as investors in low-carbon technologies: A systematic literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 534-547.
    13. Can Şener, Şerife Elif & Sharp, Julia L. & Anctil, Annick, 2018. "Factors impacting diverging paths of renewable energy: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 2335-2342.
    14. Tao, Zhenmin & Moncada, Jorge Andrés & Poncelet, Kris & Delarue, Erik, 2021. "Review and analysis of investment decision making algorithms in long-term agent-based electric power system simulation models," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    15. Geddes, Anna & Schmidt, Tobias S., 2020. "Integrating finance into the multi-level perspective: Technology niche-finance regime interactions and financial policy interventions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(6).
    16. Ye, Fanglin & Paulson, Nicholas & Khanna, Madhu, 2022. "Are renewable energy policies effective to promote technological change? The role of induced technological risk," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    17. Toka, Agorasti & Iakovou, Eleftherios & Vlachos, Dimitrios & Tsolakis, Naoum & Grigoriadou, Anastasia-Loukia, 2014. "Managing the diffusion of biomass in the residential energy sector: An illustrative real-world case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 56-69.
    18. Blondiau, Yuliya & Reuter, Emmanuelle, 2019. "Why is the grass greener on the other side? Decision modes and location choice by wind energy investors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 44-55.
    19. Soh Young In & Ashby H. B. Monk & Janelle Knox-Hayes, 2020. "Financing Energy Innovation: The Need for New Intermediaries in Clean Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-25, December.
    20. Laplane, Andrea & Mazzucato, Mariana, 2020. "Socializing the risks and rewards of public investments: Economic, policy, and legal issues," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(S).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:127:y:2018:i:c:p:8-22. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.