Investors seeking higher returns and positive impact remain committed to UK renewable energy, if a recent bond raise is anything to go by. Almost 1,000 investors opted collectively to put £10m into the Thrive Renewables bond offer.
The bond will pay them five per cent a year over seven years. It was also available through an IFISA on the Abundance Investment platform, and is still available through the platform’s secondary marketplace.
Social Stock Exchange-listed Thrive unites a growing movement of investors who are wanting to see investment with impact. The Bristol-based, sustainable company has contributed to the construction of 95MW of renewable energy projects, across 19 sites around the UK with a total of £105M assets under management.
Interest in investing in renewables appears to remain undimmed despite significant cuts to subsidies for some types of project in the last two years.
Local resident Jaqui Fairfax and her toddler grandson, Grayson
“My grandson loves the turbines and one of his first words was windmill. It’s important to spread the word about renewables and to educate the future generation.”
Matthew Clayton, Thrive Renewables managing director said: “Last year the UK generated more electricity from wind than coal for the first time, on an annual basis – 11.5% compared to 9.2%. Today, the UK is the world’s sixth biggest wind-power producer.”
“With this latest bond issue we’ll be able to power 36,000 more UK homes with clean energy annually. We are driven to invest in the transition to a renewables’ based energy system, offering investors a rewarding connection with sustainable energy.”
A portion of the £10M funds raised have already gone directly into three renewable energy projects including a three-turbine wind farm built on an old coal mine in Scotland. These new projects will power clean electricity to homes by Autumn 2017. Thrive has also invested in Solar PV for the first time this year broadening its scope of sustainable projects for investors.
Bruce Davis, Founder and Joint MD of Abundance Investment added: “We are enabling small investors to produce a regular return from the generation and sale of 100% green electricity. We provide an accessible investment for everyday investors who seek healthy returns, transparency of funds and more control over how their money is invested. You can invest in green energy projects from just £5 online, coupled with the ability to get tax-free interest via the IFISA.”
To find out more about investing through Innovative Finance ISAs (IFISAs), check out our recent FREE downloadable guide, sponsored by Abundance and Crowd2Fund. It includes a flowchart to help investors decide whether an IFISA could be right for them.
Or, if this year you prefer to stick with your tried and tested Stocks & Shares ISAs, then do read our ISA guide, sponsored by Selftrade from Equiniti, for the basics, like how to read a fund factsheet, or try our fun quiz to find out your investment personality.
