Nadia Ameli

University College London | UCL · Institute for Sustainable Resources

Energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies provide important opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, households fail to take up many clean energy investments that are cost-effective. This article reviews different explanations for apparent underinvestment in energy efficiency that have been put forward in the literature....

This paper provides novel evidence on the main factors behind consumer choices regarding investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies using the OECD Survey on Household Environmental Behaviour and Attitudes. The empirical analysis is based on the estimation of binary logit regression models. Empirical results suggest that hous...

International sustainable debt markets are a critical source of capital for EMDEs progressing sustainable development and climate goals. However, finance provided in ‘hard’ currencies preferred by international investors, rather than local currencies in which borrowers earn revenue, transfers currency risk from developed country lenders to EMDE bor...

A timely and well-managed phase-out of bank lending to the fossil fuel sector is critical if Paris climate targets are to remain within reach. Using a systems lens to explore over $7 trillion of syndicated fossil fuel debt, we show that syndicated debt markets are resilient to uncoordinated phase-out scenarios without regulatory limits on banks’ fo...

Science for society This study explores how the climate performance of a borrower and of an asset financed affects the cost of debt by using a case study of shipping loans. The study highlights that although some banks reward companies with high climate scores, they do not distinguish loan terms based on individual ships’ carbon intensity. Furtherm...

Large-scale wind and solar photovoltaic infrastructures are rapidly expanding in Brazil. These low-carbon technologies can exacerbate land struggles rooted in historical inequities in landownership, lack of regulation and weak governance. Here we trace how green grabbing—that is, the large-scale appropriation and control of (undesignated) public la...

A rapid phase-out of bank lending to the fossil fuel sector is critical if Paris climate targets are to remain within reach. Here we use a systems lens to explore syndicated fossil fuel debt markets - a critical source of financing for fossil fuel companies - and find that they are resilient to uncoordinated and unregulated phase-out scenarios. In...

Decarbonisation plans across the globe require zero-carbon energy sources to be widely deployed by 2050 or 2060. Solar energy is the most widely available energy resource on Earth, and its economic attractiveness is improving fast in a cycle of increasing investments. Here we use data-driven conditional technology and economic forecasting modelling...

In this perspective, we introduce recent research into the structure and function of complex investor networks supporting sustainability efforts. Using the case of solar, wind and hydro energy technologies, this perspective explores the complexity in low-carbon finance markets, defined as markets that direct capital flows towards low-carbon technol...

Achieving a net-zero carbon economy requires significant structural changes in the financial system, including a substantial shift in investment towards low-carbon assets. Through the alignment of expectations, promotion of herding behavior, utilization of public finance, reduction of capital costs and attainment of low-carbon investment thresholds...

Large-scale wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) infrastructures are expanding rapidly in Brazil. These projects can exacerbate struggles for land rooted in weak land governance, with negative impacts for traditional populations due to loss of access to common lands. Here, we trace how green grabbing, i.e. the large-scale appropriation and control of (...

A rapid phase-out of bank lending to the fossil fuel sector is critical if Paris climate targets are to remain within reach. Here we use a systems lens to explore syndicated fossil fuel debt markets - a critical source of capital flows to fossil fuel companies - and find that they are resilient to uncoordinated and unregulated phase-out scenarios....

Lenders are likely to face significant transition risk associated with stranded shipping assets, but whether and how such risks are incorporated in their lending practices is still an open question. The extend of this risk depends on whether banks are able to incorporate such risks in their lending activity. Our results show that lower margins are...

Rapidly mobilising finance from a wide variety of sources is crucial for scaling up wind deployment and enabling the clean energy transition. To do so will require an understanding how investors co-invest in wind project finance markets and how internal market dynamics align with rapid growth in deployment. Our analysis of the largest, mature wind...

Clean and affordable energy is crucial to achieve a sustainable future. Despite being controversial, hydropower remains the predominant low-cost and reliable source of energy at global level, as it stabilizes the provision of electricity and it bears the power peaks without losing efficiency. However, hydropower requires huge upfront investments an...

Developed country pledges to provide finance to developing countries for their mitigation actions and adaptation needs sit at the heart of international climate cooperation. Present commitments are deficient both in terms of their quantity and their distribution among developing countries. Using wind and solar energy financing data we highlight the...

The financial sector’s response to pressures around climate change has emphasized the role of disclosure, notably through the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. This Perspective examines two dimensions of the expectations behind transparency and disclosure initiatives: the belief...

Finance is vital for the green energy transition, but access to low cost finance is uneven as the cost of capital differs substantially between regions. This study shows how modelled decarbonisation pathways for developing economies are disproportionately impacted by different weighted average cost of capital (WACC) assumptions. For example, repres...

Supporting the transition towards a carbon neutral global economy requires the conversion of our energy systems to fully renewable sources. Over the past decades, solar and wind technologies have witnessed growth in investment and capacity and their role is expected to increase in the future. However, hydropower remains the primary renewable energy...

Finance is vital for the green energy transition, but the access to low cost finance is uneven as the cost of capital differs substantially between regions. This study shows how modelled decarbonisation pathways of developing economies are disproportionately impacted by assumptions around their cost of capital (WACC). For example, representing regi...

The finance sector’s response to pressures around climate change has emphasized disclosure, notably through the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The implicit assumption—that if risks are fully revealed, finance will respond rationally and in ways aligned with the public i...

Growing global awareness of climate change has ushered in a new era demanding policy, financial and behavioural innovations to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. Dramatic price decreases in solar photovoltaics (PV) and public policy have underwritten the expansion of solar power, now accounting for the largest share of renewable e...

Subsidy programs, such as feed-in tariffs, designed to make renewable technologies cost competitive with fossil fuels in electricity generation, have been effective in a number of nations. However, these subsidies can become very costly and they raise questions whether there are fair conditions for competition for different energy sources. As a res...

The paper describes the results of a survey, carried out with leading EU experts, on the capacity of both fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to reach commercial success in the next twenty years. The success of electric transport is hampered by a combination of low range, scarce efficiency and high costs of batteries. Costs are expected to d...

New methods are needed to accelerate clean energy policy adoption. To that end, this study proposes an innovative financing scheme for renewable and energy efficiency deployment. Financing barriers represent a notable obstacle for energy improvements and this is particularly the case for low-income households. Implementing a policy such as PACE – P...

New methods are needed to accelerate clean energy policy adoption. Financing barriers represent a notable obstacle for energy improvements, especially in those countries where most of the population belongs to the low-middle income range, thus facing financial constraints. A policy such as PACE – Property Assessed Clean Energy – provides up-front f...

This paper demonstrates how achieving optimal integration between design and energy resources management can be particularly attractive in terms of energy consumption saving (cooling and heating) and greenhouse gas emissions lower. The building automation system is based on innovative middleware framework which simplifies the modeling of a software...

With a focus on alternative methods for accelerating clean energy policy adoption, this study introduces an innovative financing scheme for renewable and energy efficiency deployment. Financing barriers represent a notable obstacle for energy improvements and this is particularly the case for low-income households. Limited access to credit, due to...