Soft Spot

Projects in Renewable Energy and Climate change are our soft spots. The projects can be at any stage of development, in any African country of any size.

The world faces costly risks if countries are not able to meet the well-below 2o C climate change threshold set forth in the Paris Agreement.
• SDGs are a global responsibility requiring engagement by all nations, but especially by G20 countries, which are also leaders on renewable energy.
• The world is still struggling to reach the “well below 2o C” threshold under the current policies because Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as a whole are not ambitious enough to achieve renewable energy and energy efficiency targets.
• Renewable energy and energy efficiency are complementary, and they need to be stepped up in parallel. This requires detailed mapping at the country level to develop different pathways and solutions tailored to local conditions, resource endowments and priorities.
• The dynamics of the energy innovation landscape, combined with social empowerment trends, are reshaping energy supply in favour of prosumers and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) behaviour.

What we Finance

Current direct investment priorities:  utility-scale solar/PV, storage, wind power assets, waste-to-energy (various pathways to renewable energy and/or materials, including pryolysis/gasification or AD/biogas), regenerative agriculture, commercial real estate, housing, smart communities, efficiency and LED lighting retrofits.  See below for more.

These renewables-related and clean industry sectors currently qualify for project financing through In3’s investment programs, whether or not the technology pathway is commercially proven.

Qualified industry specializations:

  1. Biomass waste-to-value (for electricity, biofuels, biomaterials, CHP, etc.)
  2. Concentrated Solar (CSP)
  3. Energy Efficiency (such as LED lighting retrofits), often in combination with other solutions
  4. Hydrogen & Fuel Cells (see below for other storage)
  5. Geothermal
  6. Hydroelectricity (small scale preferred, such as “run of the river”- no reservoirs)
  7. Landfill Gas (anaerobic digestion for biogas)
  8. MicroGrids — especially for village-level electrification, expanding or extending the electric grid or adding new customers via standalone (baseload) systems
  9. MRF – materials recovery facilities
  10. OTEC – ocean thermal energy conversion
  11. Solar, Ground Mount (utility-scale)
  12. Solar/PV – other
  13. Storage – Battery (such as Battery Energy Storage Systems or BESS, for grid stabilization)
  14. Storage – Compressed Air
  15. Storage – Mechanical or Thermal (such as molten salt)
  16. Storage – Pumped Hydro
  17. Tidal Power, or Wave Power (hydrokinetic)
  18. Transmission Line – AC
  19. Transmission Line – HVDC
  20. Waste materials recovery
  21. Waste-to-Energy or Waste-to-Value — pyrolysis, gasification, biogas/AD, etc.
  22. Water Distribution
  23. Water Production / Conservation
  24. Water Reclamation
  25. Water Treatment
  26. Wind Power — onshore/offshore, floating, etc.
  27. “Climate Smart” and  Regenerative / Sustainable Agriculture and food systems
  28. Agricultural Value Chain — specialty or commodity products, sustainably grown and harvested with positive social and/or environmental impacts
  29. Commercial Buildings, Affordable/Green Housing or other real estates
  30. Other types of cleantech infrastructure such as Lighting as a Service.