Stéphane Boudon (AIM Luxembourg)
The recent economic collapse in some western countries and growing resentment towards shortsighted, business-as-usual practices on Wall Street has caused increased global disillusionment toward the financial industry and its investing culture which is focused on short-term profit.
There has been since a movement in the last few years towards a model of investing that takes into account not only financial returns, but also environmental, social, and ethical considerations. Business schools where all starts think now about reviewing their curricula, infusing a holistic view of business, where maximizing shareholder value is not the only single objective anymore.
Case Studies
AIM was established in Luxembourg in 2008 and it finances the development and construction of renewable energy infrastructure projects worldwide. It invests to build photovoltaic solar farms, wind farms, biomass plants, and hydro-generated electricity power plants. The team has a proven track record in carrying through clean energy initiatives that generate stable, long-term returns for investors and real social value for local communities. AIM often states “we make money and we really like to make a real difference”.
Its “agrinergie” program, for example, synergizes solar power production and the land’s original agricultural output by switching to higher-value crops that take advantage of greenhouses and the shadowing created by ground-mounted panels. The company helps farmers grow and at the same time produce electric energy in a sustainable way. As an example, in Pierrefonds at the Réunion Island located close to Madagascar, AIM installed a PV solar plant producing around 3200 MWh of green electricity and 80 kg of essential oil of geranium and 100 kg of essential oil of citronella. Essential oils are sold to European cosmetic companies, as well as to Origin Biomed in Canada using it in drugs for diabetes. Close to Pierrefonds, at Le Syndicat with a power plant similar in size and technology, bio-melons and bio-watermelons are produced for local consumption. Farmers have access to a production environment enabling a better control of local conditions, namely controlling the consequences of heavy rains and exposure to cyclones, as well as using less or no pesticides.
Similar experiments have gone through in Corsica, with an emphasis on either sheep breeding, or beekeeping. It is known that all bee populations suffer from pesticides, and our installations free of them contribute to the production of honey in the best conditions.
Asset Management & Product Structuring at AIM
In short, AIM manages private equity funds and has chosen to be regulated by the Luxembourg market authority, the most advanced jurisdiction for alternative investments, and is building diversified portfolios of real assets. The team locates infrastructure assets typically characterized by the low-risk, regular returns of debt securities and the attractive capital appreciation of pure equity investments.
In addition, AIM structures dedicated financial products backed by long-term cash flows of renewable energy investments, ensuring stable distributions to investors with fixed annual coupons; and offers institutional clients, clean-tech companies and government agencies unmatched insight and opportunities in the renewable energy sector.