NextEnergy Solar Fund Wins Impact Research Award

London, December 13, 2023

NextEnergy Capital’s listed specialist solar and energy storage fund has won the prestigious 2023 Environmental Finance IMPACT Award for the biodiversity and environmental management research being pioneered across its assets. 

The IMPACT Awards seek to recognise and reward the work of impact investors everywhere, and highlight emerging pockets of best practice across all asset classes and all geographies. The judges were impressed by the evidence being generated by NESF’s assets on how solar farms can improve the local environment and support nature, and presented NESF with the IMPACT Award in the ‘Impact Research’ category.  

Over the last year, the Fund has advanced important environmental management and reporting initiatives, drawing on a comprehensive suite of measures designed with the support of ecological experts. NESF issued a thought leadership initiative against the backdrop of the UN Biodiversity COP15 to raise awareness on biodiversity through a Natural Capital Educational Series, and published a white paper on Land Use and Solar.  NEC is also leading the UK Research and Innovation-funded multi-disciplinary research project, Nature-Positive Investment Opportunities Through Solar Parks. These impact research efforts have been crucial to inform discussions with UK policymakers and facilitate the solar investment sector’s contribution to decreasing the funding gap for nature and conservation. 

The IMPACT Award judges also recognised NEC’s efforts to lead best practice on the nexus between natural capital, land use and solar: team members actively participate in key stakeholder groups and hold positions such as the Chair for both Solar Energy UK’s Natural Capital Steering Group and its Working Group. The latter was instrumental in publishing industry-wide Natural Capital Best Practice Guidance in 2022. 

Ross Grier, COO & Head of UK Investments, said: 

“Being presented with an IMPACT Award for the second year in a row is a tremendous achievement, and testament to NEC and NESF’s ESG research activities. We will continue to share lessons drawn from our strong track record investing in solar assets and enhancing biodiversity at our sites to promote an impact investment model in which solar energy drives nature conservation.”  

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