Jonathan Maxwell 'Checkpoint 2023: Energy Efficiency Investment'

My guest for episode 113 of Cleaning Up Podcast was Jonathan Maxwell. Jonathan is founder and CEO of Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL), one of the world’s biggest investors in energy efficiency.

This episode marks a new departure for Cleaning Up, as we invite some of our former guests back on the show to give us an update or “Checkpoint” on their area of expertise.

Jonathan was also my guest for Episode 14 – Cheaper, Cleaner, More Reliable and - for full disclosure - I am an advisor to SDCL Group .

• Two years ago, when he first appeared on Cleaning Up, Jonathan was optimistic, citing various Covid recovery funds and the EU FitFor55 initiative that was set to funnel nearly €300 billion per year of public and private money into energy efficiency. That money has started to flow, but slowly. The US’s Inflation Reduction Act has helped the economics of energy efficiency but, since they were already good, will not be transformational.
• The current energy price spike – driven by nearly a decade of under-investment in fossil fuels, then the bounce-back from Covide, and most recently and dramatically by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – has given the sector renewed urgency. Jonathan believes we are going through “an inflexion point”, though he still laments the fact that 80% of policy and funding still targets the energy supply side rather than the demand side.
• Jonathan makes a strong argument for energy efficiency on the basis of economic productivity. “Why do we have productivity limits?” he asks. “if we're wasting 60% of our energy, 40% our food, and 30% of our water, this mystery about productivity limits starts to become a bit more understandable.”

You can listen to the first Cleaning Up Checkpoint on energy efficiency investment on your favourite podcast platform or watch it on YouTube.

#Energy #EnergyEfficiency #Investment #Finance #Climate #ClimateChange #NetZero