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Industries and municipalities are struggling with rising energy costs, concerns over energy supply security, and stricter emissions targets. The energy transition demands integrating multiple technologies and implementing effective financing strategies to overcome these challenges.
Stand-alone renewable energy solutions can only partially address these challenges and often require substantial capital investments. Michel Wettstein shares his insights from recent projects through the eyes of a CFO in renewable energy solutions.
Meet Michel Wettstein – CFO at Green Energy Venture AG
What does an ex-Credit Suisse banker and plant-based food co-founder have to do with renewable energy? He's leveraging his banking and finance expertise to help making renewable technologies financeable.
The Overlooked Role of Finance in Renewable Energy Solutions
Leveraging financial expertise is often the missing piece that makes utility-scale renewable projects truly bankable. Michel acts as a business partner, bridging the gap between finance and technology to ensure that renewable energy projects meet the criteria financiers require.
An insight to helping municipalities take control of their energy future
Today, municipalities and SMEs face significant challenges while they play a pivotal role in the energy transition.
- Rising Energy Costs
- Reliance on Non-Renewable, Imported Energy
- Stricter Emission targets
While standalone renewable projects exist, they may not fully achieve energy independence or cost efficiency. Combining various renewable sources from locally available resources, municipalities can attain a clean, secure energy supply. This integrated approach reduces costs, stabilizes pricing, and lays the foundation to energy independence across generation, storage, and distribution.
But how can a municipality or SME finance such a comprehensive transition?
"From day one, I realized the importance of combining financial experience with a deep understanding of market dynamics and collaboration with engineers. Beyond the challenge of low energy prices - which make integrated energy storage essential for any modern utility-scale project - bankability determines a project's success, especially when municipalities are involved.” - Michel Wettstein
The Fruits of the Transition
The fruits of the energy transition include independence and decarbonization, achievable today by intelligently reducing energy consumption and integrating multiple clean energy technologies. Additionally, intelligent financing of energy assets leads to the cost reduction without affecting liquidity.
To realize these benefits, engineers, project managers, and finance experts work hand-in-hand. From a CFO's perspective, Michel shares key insights from his project experience in the municipal sector:
- Merge Technical Projects with Market-Driven Models
Align municipality-led initiatives with investor expectations on risk and return. - Strong Investor Interest
Institutional capital shows a strong desire to invest in renewable projects. - Importance of Early Adopters
Lighthouse projects set standards in bankability and inspire confidence. - Standardize Risk-Return Models
Enhances investor appeal and lowers refinancing costs.
Take Control of Your Energy Future
By bridging technology and finance, we develop bankable projects that empower municipalities and SMEs to meet their energy goals. Our approach includes:
- Integrating Multiple Technologies
Combining solar, wind, energy storage, and more for an integrated solution. - Identifying Viable Financing Options
Crafting financial strategies that align with your municipality's needs and capabilities. - Ensuring Asset Bankability
Meeting the criteria that make your projects attractive to investors and financiers.
Empowering municipalities through finance and technology - because the energy transition is not just about new technologies; it's about making them work for you.
Contact us to discover how we can help your municipality or SME take control of its energy future.
