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Infrastructure is key to achieving fair and sustainable economic growth and climate targets. Three trends to stimulate the private sector to fund the large-scale change to enable infrastructure to reach its climate and development potential

Ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting this week, GI Hub CEO Marie Lam-Frendo provides insights into the actions we’re helping advance in our work with the G20.

The Global Infrastructure Hub (GI Hub) has announced the formation of a Technical Working Group of global infrastructure, finance, and climate experts to provide strategic advice to the G20 and GI Hub on a forthcoming framework that will offer new recommendations for scaling up private sector investment in sustainable infrastructure.

Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals will require massive investment in developing countries. Blended finance, which combines concessional public funds with commercial funds, can be a powerful means to direct more commercial finance toward impactful investments that are unable to proceed on strictly commercial terms

To increase understanding and improve the consideration of circular infrastructure, the GI Hub has formed a Circular Economy in Infrastructure Action Group that includes global, senior leaders in circular economy and infrastructure across the public and private sector.

In April 2021, the GI Hub hosted a workshop for the G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) on the role of infrastructure in the circular economy. The workshop brought together the following experts in circular economy and infrastructure to identify synergies between the two sectors and explore how these opportunities can be implemented across the world.

Low-income countries must maintain the necessary focus on basic goals such as improving energy access, providing safe and quality transport services, water, food security, and education - while forgoing opportunity, dealing with additional risks, and prioritising climate-smart investments.

Given its share of greenhouse gas emissions, infrastructure needs to be decarbonised as part of the long-term transition to net zero and the limitation of global warming to 1.5%.

To close the infrastructure gap in a sustainable recovery, we need more greenfield infrastructure, with environmental sustainability at its core. This requires innovative funding models and public-private partnerships (PPPs), particularly in emerging economies where private investors are more reluctant to invest and greenfield infrastructure need is greatest.

Sadek Wahba explores four infrastructure related themes that were re-affirmed at COP26 to deliver on a net zero future

Today, the GI Hub has launched a new resource that shows how G20 governments are spending the USD3.2 trillion in infrastructure as a stimulus.

Due to rising energy prices, the Dutch Government has placed emphasis on meeting national energy performance objectives through the reduction of fossil fuel consumption.  The Dutch Government is seeking innovative solutions to deliver more energy and cost-efficient buildings, as well as achieving Net Zero Energy buildings by 2020.  The retrofits include installation of rooftop solar panels and other insulation technologies.

Euro Property Assessed Clean Energy (EuroPACE) is a scalable on-tax financing model to support the deployment of energy saving and generation technologies to European households and the EU’s clean energy transition.  The scheme is inspired by the successful US PACE scheme that was introduced in 2008, which resulted in over USD4.7 billion in funded projects, over 200,000 homes over the past four years.  Private capital is deployed as upfront financing to homeowners which is repaid through an additional special “assessment” payment on its property tax bill for a specified term.

ChargePoint as a Service installs electric vehicle (EV) chargers for no upfront cost in return for a fixed term subscription CPaaS reduces overhead costs and offer predictable operational expenses CPaaS also proactively monitors stations to identify and fix technical issues remotely and enables businesses to track performance and utilization. Georgia Power (a utilities company in Georgia) and Pivet Atlanta, an automotive company has partnered with ChargePoint to install EV chargers in a major travel corridor.

Cambrian Innovation developed the WEPA to enable food and beverage manufacturers across the United States to implement their solutions to remove wastewater costs, reduce environmental impact, and alleviate capped production at no upfront cost or operational risk.  Wineries in Nappa Valley, including Rombauer Vineyards, produced high-strength wastewater (diluted wine) through standard rinsing and cleaning processes putting pressure on traditional municipal treatment plants.  In 2018, Rombauer Vineyards was the first replaced existing ineffective treatment system with an EcoVolt Solution from Cambrian Innovation.