What is it?

Developed by SEFI (the Sustainable Energy Finance Directory) - a joint initiative comprising UNEP's Energy Branch , UNEP FI , and BASE (Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy) - the SEF Directory is an online database of lenders and investors who actively provide finance to the sustainable energy sector worldwide. The objective is to help renewable energy / energy efficiency project developers and entrepreneurs identify sources of potential capital easily and quickly.

Why is it important?

Though the sustainable energy industry has experienced impressive growth in recent years as technologies improve and new market regulations come into force, renewable energy sources i.e. modern biomass, geothermal, wind, solar, and small hydro still provide only 2% of the world's energy. This is partly due to the fact that most financiers do not have the information, experience, or tools needed to assess, mitigate and hedge project and investment risks. The challenge is therefore to attract increased investment to renewable energy and energy efficiency projects by providing information, facilitating deal origination, and developing partnerships that will help shift clean energy from the margins of energy supply to the mainstream. The SEF Directory aims to assist with this process.

How does it work?

Users can register for the Directory free-of-charge at sef-directory.net and immediately start searching for sources of capital using a wide range of search options. These include finance type, technology type and geographic region. Alternatively, users can search for specific institutions in the database, which now numbers more than 200 entries. After locating relevant finance providers, users can then access the individual entries to view and print more detailed information, including personal contact details. The rest is up to the project developers to initiate contact with the financiers themselves.

Related Links

SEF Directory

Partners

SEFI

UNEP Finance Initiatives

BASE