The surprising forces driving the renewables boom | Pendal Group
Hi there! Welcome to the new look Pendal website... Take a two minute tour to see what we’ve changed.

Mainstream Online Web Portal

Investors can view their accounts online via a secure web portal. After registering, you can access your account balances, periodical statements, tax statements, transaction histories and distribution statements / details.
Advisers will also have access to view their clients’ accounts online via the secure web portal.

The surprising forces driving the renewables boom

Economics rather than environmentalism can explain much of the global renewables boom, says Regnan’s head of research, Alison George.

  • Pollution, consumer preferences driving shift to renewables
  • Economics are clear: renewables now cheapest in all key regions
  • Pursuit of net zero would turbo-charge this trend

THE transition to a renewable energy system is a mega-trend that will drive investment returns for decades.

Renewables are expected to account for 70 per cent of the $US530 billion spent on all new generation capacity in 2021, says the International Energy Agency.

But with almost every part of the global economy touched by the transition, picking investment opportunities can be daunting.

Successful investing in the transition is made even more difficult by noisy debate and political point-scoring about the best path to net-zero carbon emissions.

But beyond the noise, much of global shift to renewable energy can be explained by underlying forces that are with us today and offer some quite understandable and investable opportunities, says Alison George, head of research at Regnan, a global leader in sustainable investing.

“There’s a whole lot of change happening in energy systems — all from three key drivers,” says George.

“Emissions are important, but in developing countries it’s air pollutants that are key to changes happening now, with climate concerns coming up behind.”

Then there’s changing consumer preferences and technological advancement.

Sustainable and 
Responsible Investments 

Fund Manager of the Year

“The shifts that are occurring in the energy system are a combination of those three factors playing out over time.”

Focusing on these three drivers can give investors a much clearer understanding of how the transition will affect their portfolios.

“In China and India, they are much more concerned with the very real problem of air pollution, which is causing significant numbers of extra deaths right now,” says George.

“Similarly, Australia’s love of home solar panels is not just about incentives — it’s about people liking the idea of being in control of their own power, playing to a personal independence narrative.

“It’s not just a decarbonisation preference — it’s a consumer preference.

“Historically energy was a low-engagement purchase, then all these apps came along so you can see how much power you are generating and connect it all up.”

George says the advancement in technology, which will ultimately allow households to trade energy the same way they trade stocks, via an app on their phone, will further drive the interest in renewables.

‘It’s not environmental, it’s economic’

Even global scale changes like the phasing out of coal-fired power stations can be explained by underlying economic drivers.

“Even without new commitments from governments, energy coal is already on the way out.

“It’s not environmental – it’s economic.

Find out about

Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund

“In the US there has been a huge changeover from coal to gas that was entirely economically driven because of the shale gas revolution.

“Suddenly the US had an abundant source of cheap gas and that has led to a lot of very economically rational coal to gas switching.”

This combination of an energy transition being driven by factors other than climate change allows investors to think differently about how they play the transition.

One implication is that the policy debate and regulatory overlay is perhaps less important than traditional economics.

The International Energy Agency says renewable energy is now the cheapest way to lift energy production in all key regions.

“If you need more supply, the next megawatt will be renewable.

As the graph below shows, solar is the cheapest option in China and India. In the US and EU, it’s onshore wind.

The nuclear option

Economics also explain why nuclear is being left behind renewables, despite being low carbon, George says.

“Nuclear is expensive in relative terms, even in developing economies where input costs like labour and land are lower.”

That’s why nuclear doesn’t get much of a boost, even under the most ambitious decarbonisation scenarios.

“Renewables are already the best bet. It doesn’t matter what scenario we look at, renewable investment is a runaway car — it’s happening of its own accord.

“That is the key expectation that people should have.”

“Pursuit of net zero would only accelerate these trends, while also bringing hydrogen into the picture.

“There is a still a big gap between current policies and what is needed to achieve the net zero commitments being made by countries around the world.

“This represents a huge investment opportunity – worth a cumulative US$27 trillion by 2050 according to the IEA.

“Solar, wind and especially batteries would all be winners from increased environmental ambition, turbo charging current trends as more energy comes from electricity and renewables get a larger share of an even bigger electricity pie.  

“Electricity networks would also require substantial increased investment.”


About Alison George

Alison George is Regnan’s head of research. She has deep experience in ESG, responsible investment and active ownership. Alison oversees Regnan’s research frameworks, processes and outputs, ensuring it remains at the forefront of industry practice and meets evolving clients needs.

About Regnan

Regnan is a responsible investment leader with a long and proud history of providing insight and advice to investors with an interest in long-term, broad-based or values-aligned performance.

Building on that expertise, in 2019 Regnan expanded into responsible investment funds management, backed by the considerable resources of Pendal Group.

The Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund invests in mission-driven companies we believe are well placed to solve the world’s biggest problems.

The Regnan Credit Impact Trust (available in Australia only) invests in cash, fixed and floating rate securities where the proceeds create positive environmental and social change. Both funds are distributed by Pendal in Australia.

Visit Regnan.com

Find out about Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund

Find out about Regnan Credit Impact Trust

For more information on these and other responsible investing strategies, contact Head of Regnan and Responsible Investment Distribution Jeremy Dean at jeremy.dean@regnan.com.


This information has been prepared by Pendal Fund Services Limited (PFSL) ABN 13 161 249 332, AFSL No 431426 and is current as at November 24, 2021

PFSL is the responsible entity and issuer of units in the Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund (Fund) ARSN: 645 981 853. A product disclosure statement (PDS) is available for the Fund and can be obtained by calling 1300 346 821 or visiting www.pendalgroup.com. The Target Market Determination (TMD) for the Fund is available at www.pendalgroup.com/ddo. You should obtain and consider the PDS and the TMD before deciding whether to acquire, continue to hold or dispose of units in the Fund.

An investment in the Fund or any of the funds referred to in this web page is subject to investment risk, including possible delays in repayment of withdrawal proceeds and loss of income and principal invested.

This information is for general purposes only, should not be considered as a comprehensive statement on any matter and should not be relied upon as such. It has been prepared without taking into account any recipient’s personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this, recipients should, before acting on this information, consider its appropriateness having regard to their individual objectives, financial situation and needs. This information is not to be regarded as a securities recommendation.

The information may contain material provided by third parties, is given in good faith and has been derived from sources believed to be accurate as at its issue date. While such material is published with necessary permission, and while all reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information is complete and correct, to the maximum extent permitted by law neither PFSL nor any company in the Pendal group accepts any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of this information.

Performance figures are calculated in accordance with the Financial Services Council (FSC) standards. Performance data (post-fee) assumes reinvestment of distributions and is calculated using exit prices, net of management costs. Performance data (pre-fee) is calculated by adding back management costs to the post-fee performance. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Any projections are predictive only and should not be relied upon when making an investment decision or recommendation. Whilst we have used every effort to ensure that the assumptions on which the projections are based are reasonable, the projections may be based on incorrect assumptions or may not take into account known or unknown risks and uncertainties. The actual results may differ materially from these projections.

For more information, please call Customer Relations on 1300 346 821 8am to 6pm (Sydney time) or visit our website www.pendalgroup.com

Keep updated
Sign up to receive the latest news and views