Wind Farm Investments

You can play your part in tackling energy issues and climate change with a small investment. There is a new launch of public share issue aimed at raising £8.5m to invest in wind farms and other renewable energy projects across the country.

Triodos is offering people the chance to become shareholders in Triodos Renewables, a public limited company which came into being 13 years ago as the Wind Fund.

Triodos Renewables invests in UK companies, mainly in small and medium-sized wind farms, hydroelectric schemes and emerging renewable energy technology. It owns and operates Caton Moor in Lancashire and Haverigg II in Cumbria, two wind farms. In addition they own two single turbines, Gulliver in Lowestoft, Suffolk and Sigurd in the Orkney Islands.

The partnership also owns the Beochlich hydroelectric project in Argyll, Scotland, and it has a stake in Marine Current Turbines. Marine Current is a tidal energy company whose first commercial turbine will begin operating off the coast of Northern Ireland later this year, and is a partner in Connective Energy.

Triodos Renewables has plans to use the money raised by the new share issue to more than double the amount of green electricity it produces in the next two to three years. Their goal is to issue up to 5.5m new shares at £1.65 per share.

Buyers need to be aware that this is a long-term investment in a single share, with all the risks that entails. You may not get back the full amount invested, and it may be hard to sell the shares, though Triodos runs a service to match sellers with buyers.

Regardless of what you may personally think about wind farms, we are probably going to see a lot more turbines springing up if Britain is to stand any chance of meeting its targets for renewable energy.

www.triodos.co.uk