Energy sector in Europe

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June 14, 2025

by a searcher from London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London in London, UK

Curious if anyone has 1st hand experience of looking at opportunities in the broader energy sector (traditional and renewable) in the UK and Continental Europe. - Are there any small deals out there? - Is there any equity investor interest? - Is debt financing problematic?
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Reply by a searcher
in London, UK
The community energy space could be an interesting one. Pros - Grant funding for feasibility studies (£40,000 for stage 1, £100,000 for stage 2 - cannot be used for asset purchase) - Community shares to raise capital (which can be directly promoted without restrictions, and the returns are structured like debt at around 5%) - Grant funding for community share preparation - Generally organised by non-sophisticated community groups that need long term assistance with asset management Cons - Generally smaller scale - Requires local involvement - Frequently lots of stakeholders - Asset owners are generally charitable structures, and therefore asset owners may not be suitable for searchfunds themselves. Service providers and developers that support however may be. There are a few consultancies that provide funding application, energy modelling, project management, asset management, etc to these projects. Often this seems to be on an inbound basis, without sophisticated outbound marketing. There's a few examples of national companies that work in this area, such as Solar for Schools (https://www.solarforschools.co.uk/ / https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/###-###-#### /filing-history), that identify community groups and then support them through the journey. I'm developing two in this area projects with a partner that has delivered support for these projects. Currently applying for the stage 1 feasibility study funding, and have had favourable feedback so far from the assessors. Although these are charitable at their core, there's potential for attractive returns depending on the project structure, the size, community needs, and innovation. We're using it to prove concepts which could then be commercialised at a larger scale, effectively as incubation or innovation funding. Happy to chat more about this and also London based - should we organise a group lunch or something in the city? ^redacted‌ ^redacted‌ ^redacted‌ ^redacted‌ ^redacted‌
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Reply by a searcher
from INSEAD in London, UK
Hey Cameron, I'm based in London and also super interested in the energy sector. From my very preliminary research, it seems that the smaller deals available tend to be either energy consulting boutique firms or small heat pumps/solar panels/EV charging installers. Should we have a chat?
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