Green Shoots webinar: Renewables at a crossroads

Can the energy transition stay on track? Our April live lunchtime webinar ‘Renewables at a crossroads’ explored the opportunities and risks within the renewables sector and the effects that current global politics have on the global clean energy transition.

23 April 2025

Article last updated 28 April 2025.

Wednesday 23 April 2025
12.00pm — 12.45pm

A recording of this event will be available to watch shortly.

In a changing global political landscape, can the energy transition stay on track?

Our live lunchtime webinar ‘Renewables at a crossroads’ explored the opportunities and risks within the renewables sector and the effects that current global politics have on the global clean energy transition.

Global renewable energy capacity additions increased to almost 510GW in 2023 setting a new record for the 22nd year in a row. 2024 is expected to follow suit and record yet another increase.

Supportive policy in recent years has helped the renewables industry to accelerate progress. One of the most significant pieces of legislation introduced to stimulate investment in clean energy came in the form of former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act in the US, which supercharged investment into US clean energy technologies and supply chains. At COP28 in 2023, countries agreed to triple renewable capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.

However, following President Donald Trump’s re-election for a second term in 2024, an energy agenda that sought to promote oil and gas over renewable energy, the US’ intention to leave the Paris Agreement, along with executive orders promoting increased oil and gas development and imposing restrictions on wind power development were all announced early in his term.

Specialist guest speaker David Bird, investment director at Octopus Energy Generation, joined Joe Crehan, investment director at Greenbank, to discuss the implications that President Trump’s new policy direction may have for investment in clean energy in the US and in a broader global context.

The session explored:

how this new policy direction is likely to impact the rapid growth in renewables and if it has the potential to derail the energy transition
what it is likely to mean for the renewable subsidies of the Inflation Reduction Act
how investors in US clean energy infrastructure view the new policy and political environment for the continued build out of clean energy infrastructure.

Green Shoots is Greenbank’s lunchtime webinar series where we are joined by specialist guest speakers to explore a sustainable investment topic.

If you have any queries about this event, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing marketing@greenbankinvestments.com

Speakers

David Bird

Octopus Energy Generation

Investment Director

David Bird

Investment Director

Octopus Energy Generation

David Bird is an investment director who joined the Octopus Energy Generation team in 2014 and is fund manager and product head for ORIT, as well as a new regulated fund of funds. As well as working in the transaction team leading acquisitions and project finance debt raising in the UK, France and Ireland, David has previously led the team responsible for the management of Octopus Energy Generation’s bioenergy investments and has represented Octopus Energy Generation on a number of industry panels convened by Ofgem, the GB energy regulator. Prior to joining the Octopus Group, David was a director at Walbrook Capital, a boutique investment manager with a particular focus on renewables in the UK and US. He is a chartered accountant having qualified at EY, and holds a Masters in Mathematics from Oxford University.

Joe Crehan

Greenbank

Investment Director

Joe Crehan

Investment Director

Greenbank

Joe is an investment director at Greenbank, specialising in managing ethical and sustainable portfolios on behalf of private clients, trusts and charities. He is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment and has been awarded the Institute’s masters level Chartered Wealth Manager qualification. He is the renewable energy sector specialist for the Greenbank team. Joe joined Greenbank in 2014 having previously worked for the educational charity Teach First as a secondary school Physics teacher. He is a school governor at St Helen’s College and is a Physics and Philosophy graduate with a BSc and MA from Bristol University.