The 13th annual Renewable Energy Finance Forum-Wall Street (REFF-Wall Street), hosted by ACORE and Euromoney Seminars, recently concluded after two days of discussion, debate and review of renewable energy markets in the U.S. and around the globe.
Coming off a record-setting year for renewable energy investment, according to the event hosts, REFF-Wall Street, which took place in New York City, drew a mix stakeholders from investment banks, institutional investors, venture capital firms, and government and other energy professionals.
“In a year of more private-sector investment, better policy support and more interest in renewables across the board, we’re proud to be able to work side-by-side with industry leaders to advance ACORE’s mission of uniting business, policy and finance to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy,” says Gregory Wetstone, president and CEO of ACORE.
A central theme at this year’s conference was the bullish outlook for renewables over the next five years. The maturation of major developers, increased investment from both mainstream and boutique financiers, stable federal policy and evolving state policies, and the increase of corporate renewable energy procurement drove the discussion across the panels and keynotes.
The discussions at REFF-Wall Street also focused on continuing to expand access to low-cost capital while seeking stable returns in the wake of turmoil in the natural gas and oil markets, the yieldco churn, regulatory uncertainty, and a tighter tax equity market.
“Renewable energy has been an attractive market for a number of years and deserves the success it has achieved here in the U.S.,” says Skip Grow, managing director at Morgan Stanley and board member at ACORE. “But success for the future is not guaranteed, and the financial markets will need to see positive growth and stable returns for renewables to continue to transform the energy industry. REFF-Wall Street offers a great forum for discussing the issues at the nexus of finance and energy, and this year was no exception.”
Along with a focus on financial markets and renewable energy investment, this year’s REFF-Wall Street also reviewed the rise of corporate renewable energy procurement. Ahead of the conference, ACORE released a collection of industry insights to help guide companies seeking to purchase renewable energy; this publication can be found here.
