Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, Pegasus Capital Advisors & R20 Regions of Climate Change Bring Together Thought Leaders in Tech, Policy & Financing for Summit on Investing in Renewable Energy

Panelists from Google, Honda, U.S. Dept. of Energy & GE Ventures, Among Others, Discuss How Investing in Renewables Brings Value to Public Pension Fund Portfolios

PORTLAND, Ore.–(Business Wire)–Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, Pegasus Capital Advisors and R20-Regions of Climate Action hosted a summit entitled “Public Pension Fund Investments & Investing in Renewables: Opportunities and Challenges” on June 5 on the campus of Portland State University. The event featured several panel discussions with leaders in technology, public policy, and finance who discussed the value, opportunities and obstacles of investing in renewable energy as an institutional asset class. The panelists also discussed the role that renewable energy investing has in building a strong and diversified portfolio and creating jobs, as well as the challenges and opportunities this asset class provides for public funds and private investors.

Panelists included representatives from the following entities:

• Google
• Honda Motors
• U.S. Department of Energy
• GE Ventures
• Stanford University
• Torrey Cove Capital Partners
• Oregon State Treasurers Office
• Clif Bar
• Edison International
• California Public Utilities Commission
• Ernst & Young
• Solar City
• NextEra
• DE Shaw & Co.
• ZeroBase Energy
• Invenergy
• Ibedrola
• Microsoft
• Pegasus Capital Advisors (Ron Klein & Marco Krapels)

“I brought together these remarkable individuals to explore profitable and responsible investment options in renewables,” said Ted Wheeler, Oregon State Treasurer. “I left more optimistic than ever that there are opportunities to invest in renewables that meet the high standards we have for all of our investments.”

“Renewable energy and companies developing associated technology offer institutional investors the same sort of risk-reward opportunities that more traditional asset classes do,” said Craig Cogut, Chairman of Pegasus Capital Advisors. “One clear takeaway from this summit is that there is both a societal demand for clean energy as well as a need for institutional equity and debt to make it a reality.”

“The leadership of the Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund, the implementation of the cap and trade system in my home state of California and the common standards-setting activities of the R20 all demonstrate the growing acceptance and need for renewable energy as both an asset class and a public policy solution,” said Terry Tamminen, Strategic Advisor of R20 Regions of Climate Action. “I am honored to have been a participant at this unprecedented forum, one that demonstrates investors’ appetite for practical solutions that address both the economics of energy and the need to address climate change.”

About Pegasus

Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. is a private equity fund manager that has been providing creative capital and strategic solutions to companies across a variety of industries since 1996. Pegasus partners with management teams of growth companies, with a focus on those that benefit from the business implications of global resource scarcity. Sectors where this trend is most pronounced are food, water, energy, health & wellness and security. Pegasus currently manages approximately $2.0 billion in assets. Pegasus’ investment team comprises over 60 investment professionals and operating partners.

About R20

The R20 Regions of Climate Action a non-profit organization founded in 2010 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other global leaders in cooperation with the United Nations. The R20 is a coalition of partners led by regional governments that work to promote and implement projects that are designed to produce local economic and environmental benefits in the form of reduced energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; strong local economies; improved public health; and new green jobs. These local actions can help the world achieve shared global environmental and economic goals.