
Article
NACFB patron profile: On the horizon. Financing low carbon and green energy infrastructure
This article was recently published in the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NAFCB) Commercial Broker magazine, written by our Head of Sales, David McCoubrie.
Achieving net zero by 2050 is an ambitious goal that demands extensive infrastructure, energy, transportation and industry change. It will also require substantial investment, technological innovation, and widespread behavioural shifts, whilst balancing economic growth and social equity under tight time constraints. To meet this challenge, businesses must act decisively and begin implementing changes to energy sourcing and consumption.
Empowering business
Horizon Energy Ventures helps businesses invest in sustainable energy infrastructure through innovative funding and strategic partnership led products. We recognise that many effective decarbonising technologies require upfront investment.
That’s where we come in, offering businesses who want to adopt clean and low-cost energy technologies an alternative to upfront capital expenditure.
“We essentially help businesses decarbonise and save costs in the process”
Our roots
We bring extensive experience to projects driving the UK’s smart meter revolution. Our sister company, Horizon Energy Infrastructure, is a key player in the UK smart meter rollout with over 15 years’ experience in the energy sector. We are backed by one of Europe’s most dynamic independent fund managers, Arcus Infrastructure Partners, empowering us to invest in sustainable green energy ventures.
Our team of sustainable finance experts have deep expertise in finance and renewable energy initiatives. Ryan O’Connell, our Head of Commercial, has a proven record in implementing financial solutions for new energy ventures. His knowledge of the benefits that low carbon technologies can deliver is instrumental in tailoring our financial products and services to meet the specific needs of our UK clients. Having previously built and managed a portfolio of over 150 renewable energy projects via asset finance, and delivering many others through outright purchase options, Ryan brings invaluable first-hand understanding of the underlying assets themselves and how they are complemented by asset finance.
I lead the sales and account management team for Horizon Energy Ventures, driving the development and tailoring of our products to our clients’ diverse needs. With over 30 years’ experience in B2B finance, my experience spans some of the largest vendor finance companies. Together, we are fully committed to the energy transition and believe it presents significant opportunities for businesses in the future.
“We focus on lending to UK, non-regulated businesses, offering products such as finance leases, operating leases, and utilisation-based leases in the EV charging market”
Driving the low-carbon economy
We partner with infrastructure developers, consultants, and especially brokers to accelerate sustainable change through investing in low-carbon and green energy infrastructure – offering a range of flexible finance solutions for solar PV, EV charging infrastructure, low carbon and carbon-neutral heating systems, battery storage, and microgrid technologies. We essentially help businesses decarbonise and save costs in the process.
Scope of lending
We recognise that each deal can be unique, and every opportunity requires a bespoke approach. This is why we evaluate each case individually. We focus on lending to UK, non-regulated businesses, offering products such as finance leases, operating leases, and utilisation-based leases in the EV charging market, with typical transaction values ranging from £5,000 to over £5,000,000. With access to extensive funding through our parent company Arcus Infrastructure Partners, we have the flexibility to scale as needed, ensuring we can support a wide variety of opportunities.
Flexibility
We recognise that certain transactions require longer term funding, and this is where Horizon Energy Ventures can really add value to the broker offering. We offer above-market standard length terms on solutions for solar PV, EV charging infrastructure, battery and heat pumps. We can also finance the (often significant) installation costs associated with a deal – setting us apart from traditional funders. We are also excited to be able to offer an innovative utilisation-based model on EV charging infrastructure. For governmental/local authority entities including schools, we can offer an operating lease product over a term of up to nine years on solar PV and battery storage solutions.
Looking ahead
We have ambitious growth plans, and the broker channel is core to our strategy, especially brokers who are looking for a finance partner that specialises in low carbon technologies, energy and charging solutions, particularly within the B2B industrial, commercial and local authority sectors. We recognise the potential of the broker market and are committed to further developing the introducer channel as a cornerstone of our strategy. Approximately 84% of all corporate UK companies are small-to-medium (SME) enterprises, making them a crucial segment of our market. As everyone strives toward net-zero targets, it’s clear SMEs will play a vital role in driving this transformation. We are actively exploring funding approaches to help achieve these ambitious goals.