Castlepines, one of the leading financial companies of its kind specializing in major global infrastructure projects, has taken major steps ahead in the renewable energy business.
Acting decisively on the market share of renewable energy which is projected to provide 50% of the world’s energy by 2050, Castlepines is investing in several crucial, high-impact renewable initiatives across Japan, Indonesia, and Brazil:
Renewable Energy Projects in Japan
Japan’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) system was inaugurated in 2012, the year after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and nuclear disasters in North-East Japan. The system was developed to accelerate Japan’s investment into renewable energy creation, in which electric power companies must purchase electricity generated from renewable energy sources on a fixed-period contract at a price set by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
For most genres, a 20-year fixed power sales price is applied. Biomass-generated electricity is a safe energy that decreases CO2, but increases employment and locally accessible energy. In terms of the feedstock supply, which has posed a challenge in many countries, Castlepines promotes global business networks among Asian countries, allowing simultaneous development of biomass generation to the amount of $1.0 billion in Japan plus feedstock projects in South Asia.
Renewable Energy Projects in Indonesia
As a G-20 member and the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is a thriving nation with dramatic growth of both economy and population. In 2017, the country’s produced a GDP growth rate of 5.1 percent, its highest in 4 years. According to a 2018 World Bank report, Indonesia has experienced increased prosperity as a result of net exports, growing global trade, recovery of commodity prices – and crucially – stronger investments. Amongst a population of 264 million, local energy demand is growing too. On the other hand, bio-waste disposal has become a serious problem in recent years.
Castlepines has offered one solution: to build renewable energy plant projects that utilize food wastes for fuel, which can decrease CO2 emissions and pollution, while simultaneously increasing local energy supply and employment in any given region. Aware of the major economic opportunity and human capital potential by investing in Indonesia’s future, Castlepines’ funds and its global network have allocated $600 million to support these projects across the country.
Wood pellet production
Brazil is home to a relatively young, but burgeoning biomass industry. Supported by the country’s 851 million hectares of land, wood biofuel can be derived from the 32% of the country deemed arable land. More than 80% of Brazilian pellet production is concentrated in the Southern states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Despite a weak domestic demand for pellet fuel at present, its favorable climate and soil properties, as well as support from policy makers, positions Brazil as a promising opportunity for harnessing massive amounts of natural waste energy.
Castlepines is helping one local Brazilian company start a sustainable and renewable energy project that will assist European and Asian countries in the reduction of their fossil fuel consumption, by utilizing timber industry waste and by-products into wood pellets. In allocating the current wealth of renewable forests – mainly eucalyptus and pine – as feedstock that had no prior commercial use, the Castlepines investment in this project will bring jobs and create wealth in the region. Furthermore, support from Castlepines will aid major global economies in reducing CO2 emissions and meeting renewable energy goals with a reliable and sustainable source of biomass from Brazil.
Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Energy
The global solar power market grew by nearly 30% YoY in 2017. China was responsible for creating 53% of the world’s new solar capacity (52.8 GW), followed by the United States in 2nd place with 10.6 GW and India with 9.6 GW of new installations. 2017 also marked a record year in PV installations, according to a joint report by the BNEF and FS-UNEP-CC. The 98 GW of solar power was greater than the new installations of all other renewables – coal, gas, nuclear power – combined.
Castlepines is accelerating availability of this energy to corporate consumers by investing in PV solar projects across major urban centres. Their position is further strengthened by a new operations partnership with a world-class global supplier of equipment, ensuring that PV solar projects can be installed wherever there is a transmission line that will facilitate the supply of energy to consumption centres, with less complicated licenses and permits. The United Nations predicts that by 2050, 2.5 billion people – two-thirds of the world’s population – will live in cities. By investing early and significantly in urban PV solar supply, Castlepines has secured its role as an integral player in providing efficient solar power to the world’s future megacities.
As the global economy strives to strengthen its alternative energy sources, substantial capital investments are required to drive responsible and sustainable returns. Castlepines is poised to leverage its strong track record of success in the infrastructure sector into a diversified renewable energy portfolio that will provide long-term growth while at the same time enriching local economies for decades.