{"id":14916,"date":"2021-08-17T07:35:28","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T07:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/startgreen.nl\/success-lies-in-the-mix\/"},"modified":"2021-08-17T07:35:28","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T07:35:28","slug":"success-lies-in-the-mix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/startgreen.nl\/en\/success-lies-in-the-mix\/","title":{"rendered":"Success lies in the mix"},"content":{"rendered":"

Expert blog – August 17, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n

Karel Asselbergs, Director of Participations, argues in this blog that StartGreen can make a real impact by thinking in terms of ‘both\/and’ instead of ‘either\/or’.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thinking broad<\/span><\/strong>
\nFew people know that StartGreen is the party behind six large, successful funds, such as Energiefonds Overijssel<\/a>, Sustainable Economy Participation Fund North Holland<\/a> and Borski Fund<\/a>. We serve two types of clients: sustainable entrepreneurs seeking funding and capital providers (investors). StartGreen acts as the intermediary: we establish a fund, attract funding from capital providers, and use it to finance the impact enterprises of those seeking capital. With the investments from our funds, we aim to make an impact in at least one UN SDG (Sustainable Development Goal). I am convinced that we can only succeed if we do not limit ourselves in terms of possibilities, but think as broadly and inclusively as possible. <\/p>\n

Stepping it up<\/span><\/strong>
\nTake Energiefonds Overijssel, for example. The province of Overijssel has described its energy transition goals in the NEO program: New Energy Overijssel<\/a>. Energiefonds Overijssel is an important implementation tool for achieving those goals. StartGreen, as the manager of this fund, provides about 25 percent of the fulfillment of those NEO goals. We are well on our way to achieving those goals, but as far as I’m concerned, we need to step it up a notch. There is much discussion about which energy sources and carriers we should use for the energy transition. “Are woody biomass and offshore wind farms really necessary?” I say: if we want to meet the climate goals, we must commit to everything. <\/p>\n

Everything in the mix<\/span><\/strong>
\nThere is no time to spend years discussing pros and cons. We must start generating energy as quickly as possible with solar AND geothermal AND wind; ‘both\/and’ instead of ‘either\/or’. In my opinion, even woody biomass deserves a place in the energy mix. I realize that this is a controversial statement, but we won’t make it without it. With the important caveat that every energy source must be used responsibly. For example, only processing local pruning waste and other residual wood in professional biomass plants. Furthermore, the use of biomass should be seen as a temporary step in the transition, as my colleague Anouk describes in her blog about biomass<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Combination of investments<\/span><\/strong>
\nEnergiefonds Overijssel is also a good example of ‘both\/and’ in another area. <\/em>Through this fund, we finance both sustainable energy projects and innovative enterprises. A solar park, for example, needs financing to be built. Once it is operational, the sun shines steadily, and the project typically generates stable cash flows and a fairly certain return. Innovative enterprises have a completely different dynamic: they often involve clever inventions that have the potential to change the world. If the technology also proves itself in practice, such an investment can yield 3 or 4 times the initial outlay, but it can also fail, and it does. A significantly higher risk, therefore, but with the chance of a higher return. <\/p>\n

Making progress and accelerating<\/span><\/strong>
\nSince we never have a guarantee that an innovation will be successful, it is helpful that we also invest in stable energy projects through Energiefonds Overijssel. These essentially act as the foundation that keeps the fund afloat and makes it possible to also invest in innovations, which are often the true accelerators of the transition. We can thus, on the one hand, make steady progress with energy projects and, on the other hand, achieve acceleration through innovations. The fact that this is a great combination became clear during the corona crisis: some innovative companies struggled, but Energiefonds Overijssel was able to maintain its resilience thanks to the stable returns from the energy projects. <\/p>\n

Everyone plays their part<\/span><\/strong>
\n‘Both\/and’ also applies to the stakeholders of the projects we finance. For a project to have a chance of success, everyone must play their part: governments, businesses, and individuals. It is no coincidence that citizen participation is an important theme in the climate agreement. A great example is the solar park on the Bomhofsplas<\/a> near Zwolle: with 18 hectares and 72,000 panels, it is the largest floating solar energy installation in Europe and the largest outside Asia. It provides 7,200 Zwolle households with green electricity. For that project, we sought collaboration with the local energy cooperative: Blauwvinger Energie. This ensured support among local residents, who can also benefit from the proceeds. <\/p>\n

Double return<\/span><\/strong>
\nFinally, the ‘both\/and’ principle applies to all projects in which StartGreen invests. Because, of course, we want to generate a financial return, but we only do so through companies that make the world a little better. For us, these go hand in hand. We want to both achieve financial goals and make a social impact; preferably with financially well-performing companies, as they have a better future perspective and are therefore actually more sustainable in that sense. This intrinsic motivation applies not only to me but is in the DNA of all StartGreen employees. That makes it such a wonderful company to work for and literally and figuratively gives me energy! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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