Environmental Risks Persist No Matter the Asset: Considerations for Financing Renewable Power Projects, Part 1

Many view renewable energy (e.g., solar, wind) as having a low environmental risk profile and are not prepared for the myriad compliance and enforcement risks that may arise from the development of renewable power projects. While it is true that, once operational, renewable assets typically do not emit air pollutants or discharge wastewater, and so may have significantly fewer compliance obligations than a highly-regulated asset like a petrochemical complex, the construction phase of renewable projects arguably contains just as many risks as one would face for more stringently regulated assets.