In 2018, California ranked first in the United States for solar power generation. In recent years, California’s electricity generation from solar power has increased substantially. Renewable energy, including solar panels on building rooftops, has more than tripled in the state since 2005. Known as the “Golden State“ with high sun exposure, solar is an especially attractive energy source in California.
1) Capital Dynamics (San Francisco, California)
With over 13 billion of assets under management or under advisement, Capital Dynamics is a leading investor in clean energy. Since 1988, they have served a global client base and are currently located in 14 offices around the world. The company‘s clean energy infrastructure team invests directly in proven renewable energy technologies with a focus on utility-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects.
In 2020, Capital Dynamics acquired stakes of US energy company LS Power in three solar photovoltaic plants totalling 128MW, one of the projects being the 170 MW Centinela solar farm in Imperial County in California.
2) US Solar Fund PLC (London, United Kingdom)
The US Solar Fund (USF) is a renewable energy fund that invests in utility-scale solar power plants across North America and other OECD countries in the Americas. USF has invested in six transactions, including 42 projects across four states and with a combined capacity of 543 MW.
In California, USF acquired a 50% interest in the Mount Signal 2 plant with a capacity of 200MW which is located in the Imperial Valley of southern California.
3) Allianz Global Investors (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
Founded in 1998, Allianz Global Investors is a leading asset management company with over 700 investment professionals in 24 offices worldwide. The company offers active investment strategies across its four main pillars: equities, multi asset, fixed income and private markets. Allianz’s equity investments in the renewable energy sector amount to over 100 wind and solar parks.
In 2019, the company acquired equity interests in the Lotus solar farm with a capacity of 67 MW in Madera County, California.
Image Source: Manny Becerra via Unsplash (28.06.2022)
