Share:


Opportunities in clean energy equity markets: the compelling case for nuclear energy investments

    Cristiana Tudor Affiliation

Abstract

This study analyzes the post-pandemic dynamics and investment potential of diverse clean energy equities, including solar, wind, nuclear, and other renewable assets, highlighting nuanced differences and investment opportunities within this critical sector. The analysis reveals that nuclear energy portfolios (NLR) exhibit notable resilience, sustaining growth amidst significant market volatility. Within the mean-variance portfolio optimization (MVO) framework, this study identifies strategic investments that balance risk and return, underscoring NLR’s role as a stabilizing force and return enhancer, as evidenced by its predominant allocation in both Minimum Variance and Tangency Portfolios. Employing advanced stochastic modeling and simulation techniques, the research uses a uniform distribution to generate random portfolio weights, ensuring comprehensive and unbiased exploration of the feasible solution space, thereby enhancing the robustness of the portfolio optimization process. The findings also illustrate the diversification merits of integrating clean energy equities into broader portfolios comprising traditional stocks and bonds, with nuclear-focused equity significantly enhancing the efficient frontier. Results underscore the superiority of the nuclear energy exchange-traded fund (ETF) both as a standalone investment and as a crucial component of diversified portfolios, highlighting its contribution to investment performance and risk management. This approach offers insights for investors and policymakers navigating the intersection of finance, sustainability, and economic growth post-pandemic.

Keyword : clean energy equity markets, stochastic modelling, mean-variance optimization, drawdown, Monte Carlo simulation, optimization algorithms, diversification, Sharpe ratio

How to Cite
Tudor, C. (2024). Opportunities in clean energy equity markets: the compelling case for nuclear energy investments. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 25(5), 960–980. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2024.22350
Published in Issue
Oct 16, 2024
Abstract Views
269
PDF Downloads
305
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Ahmad, W., Sadorsky, P., & Sharma, A. (2018). Optimal hedge ratios for clean energy equities. Economic Modelling, 72, 278–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2018.02.008

Akpan, J., & Olanrewaju, O. (2023). Sustainable energy development: History and recent advances. Energies, 16(20), Article 7049. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16207049

Bacon, C. R. (2023). Practical portfolio performance measurement and attribution. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119831976

Bardakci, I. E., & Lagoa, C. M. (2019, December). Distributionally robust portfolio optimization. In 2019 IEEE 58th conference on decision and control (CDC) (pp. 1526–1531). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/CDC40024.2019.9029381

Broadstock, D. C., Chan, K., Cheng, L. T., & Wang, X. (2021). The role of ESG performance during times of financial crisis: Evidence from COVID-19 in China. Finance Research Letters, 38, Article 101716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101716

Bumpus, A., & Comello, S. (2017). Emerging clean energy technology investment trends. Nature Climate Change, 7(6), 382–385. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3306

Bürer, M. J., & Wüstenhagen, R. (2009). Which renewable energy policy is a venture capitalist’s best friend? Empirical evidence from a survey of international cleantech investors. Energy Policy, 37(12), 4997–5006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.06.071

Carbon Collective. (2024). Green ETF. Retrieved July 16, 2024, from https://www.carboncollective.co/sustainable-investing/green-etf

Cergibozan, R. (2022). Renewable energy sources as a solution for energy security risk: Empirical evidence from OECD countries. Renewable Energy, 183, 617–626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.11.056

Chen, C., Pinar, M., & Stengos, T. (2020). Renewable energy consumption and economic growth nexus: Evidence from a threshold model. Energy Policy, 139, Article 111295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111295

Cherp, A., Vinichenko, V., Jewell, J., Brutschin, E., & Sovacool, B. (2018). Integrating techno-economic, socio-technical and political perspectives on national energy transitions: A meta-theoretical framework. Energy Research & Social Science, 37, 175–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.09.015

Deka, A., Ozdeser, H., & Seraj, M. (2023). The impact of primary energy supply, effective capital and renewable energy on economic growth in the EU-27 countries: A dynamic panel GMM analysis. Renewable Energy, 219, Article 119450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.119450

Dutta, A., Bouri, E., Das, D., & Roubaud, D. (2020a). Assessment and optimization of clean energy equity risks and commodity price volatility indexes: Implications for sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 243, Article 118669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118669

Dutta, A., Bouri, E., Saeed, T., & Vo, X. V. (2020b). Impact of energy sector volatility on clean energy assets. Energy, 212, Article 118657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.118657

Dutta, A., Bouri, E., Uddin, G. S., & Yahya, M. (2020c). Impact of COVID-19 on global energy markets. In IAEE energy forum COVID-19 issue (Vol. 2020, pp. 26–29). IAEE Cleveland, OH, USA.

Gielen, D., Boshell, F., Saygin, D., Bazilian, M. D., Wagner, N., & Gorini, R. (2019). The role of renewable energy in the global energy transformation. Energy Strategy Reviews, 24, 38–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2019.01.006

Gökgöz, F., & Güvercin, M. T. (2018). Energy security and renewable energy efficiency in EU. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 96, 226–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.07.046

Guliyev, H. (2023). Nexus between renewable energy and economic growth in G7 countries: New insight from nonlinear time series and panel cointegration analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 424, Article 138853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138853

Hassan, A. (2022). Does clean energy financial market reflect carbon transition risks? Evidence from the NASDAQ clean energy stock volatility. Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2022.2144108

Henriques, I., & Sadorsky, P. (2008). Oil prices and the stock prices of alternative energy companies. Energy Economics, 30(3), 998–1010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2007.11.001

Hieu, V. M., & Mai, N. H. (2023). Impact of renewable energy on economic growth? Novel evidence from developing countries through MMQR estimations. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(1), 578–593. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21956-7

Hoepner, A. G., Oikonomou, I., Sautner, Z., Starks, L. T., & Zhou, X. Y. (2019). ESG shareholder engagement and downside risk. Retrieved July 16, 2024, from https://www.ecgi.global/sites/default/files/ESG%20Shareholder%20Engagement%20and%20Downside%20Risk.pdf

Hore-Lacy, I. (2010). Nuclear energy in the 21st century: World Nuclear University Press. Elsevier.

Husain, A., Yii, K. J., & Lee, C. C. (2023). Are green cryptocurrencies really green? New evidence from wavelet analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 417, Article 137985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.137985

Kan, X., Hedenus, F., & Reichenberg, L. (2020). The cost of a future low-carbon electricity system without nuclear power: The case of Sweden. Energy, 195, Article 117015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117015

Kittner, N., Lill, F., & Kammen, D. M. (2017). Energy storage deployment and innovation for the clean energy transition. Nature Energy, 2(9), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2017.125

Kuang, W. (2021a). Which clean energy sectors are attractive? A portfolio diversification perspective. Energy Economics, 104, Article 105644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105644

Kuang, W. (2021b). Are clean energy assets a safe haven for international equity markets?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 302, Article 127006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127006

La Monaca, S., Assereto, M., & Byrne, J. (2018). Clean energy investing in public capital markets: Portfolio benefits of yieldcos. Energy Policy, 121, 383–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.06.028

Lamb, W. F., & Steinberger, J. K. (2017). Human well‐being and climate change mitigation. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 8(6), Article e485. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.485

Le, T. H., & Nguyen, C. P. (2019). Is energy security a driver for economic growth? Evidence from a global sample. Energy Policy, 129, 436–451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.02.038

Li, B. (2023). The role of financial markets in the energy transition: An analysis of investment trends and opportunities in renewable energy and clean technology. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(43), 97948–97964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29014-6

Li, Z., Kuo, T. H., Siao-Yun, W., & Vinh, L. T. (2022). Role of green finance, volatility and risk in promoting the investments in renewable energy resources in the post-COVID-19. Resources Policy, 76, Article 102563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102563

Liu, N., Liu, C., Da, B., Zhang, T., & Guan, F. (2021). Dependence and risk spillovers between green bonds and clean energy markets. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, Article 123595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123595

Madaleno, M., Dogan, E., & Taskin, D. (2022). A step forward on sustainability: The nexus of environmental responsibility, green technology, clean energy and green finance. Energy Economics, 109, Article 105945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.105945

Markowitz, H. (1952). Portfolio selection. The Journal of Finance, 12(7), 77–91. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1952.tb01525.x

Naqvi, B., Rizvi, S. K. A., Hasnaoui, A., & Shao, X. (2022). Going beyond sustainability: The diversification benefits of green energy financial products. Energy Economics, 111, Article 106111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106111

Nijsse, F. J., Mercure, J. F., Ameli, N., Larosa, F., Kothari, S., Rickman, J., Vercoulen, P., & Pollitt, H. (2023). The momentum of the solar energy transition. Nature Communications, 14(1), Article 6542. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41971-7

Peterson, B. G., Carl, P., Boudt, K., Bennett, R., Ulrich, J., Zivot, E., Cornilly, D., Hung, E., Lestel, M., Balkissoon, K., Wuertz, D., Christidis, A. A., Martin, R. D., Zhou, Z., & Shea, J. M. (2020). Performance analytics: Econometric tools for performance and risk analysis (R package version 2.0.4). https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/PerformanceAnalytics/PerformanceAnalytics.pdf

Pioro, I., & Duffey, R. (2015). Nuclear power as a basis for future electricity generation. Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science, 1(1), Article 011001. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4029420

Pospisil, L., & Vecer, J. (2008). PDE methods for the maximum drawdown. Journal of Computational Finance, 12(2), 59–76. https://doi.org/10.21314/JCF.2008.177

Pospisil, L., & Vecer, J. (2010). Portfolio sensitivity to changes in the maximum and the maximum drawdown. Quantitative Finance, 10(6), 617–627. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697680903008751

Rao, A., Lucey, B., Kumar, S., & Lim, W. M. (2023). Do green energy markets catch cold when conventional energy markets sneeze?. Energy Economics, 127, Article 107035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2023.107035

Shaikh, I. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the energy markets. Economic Change and Restructuring, 55(1), 433–484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10644-021-09320-0

Sharpe, W. F. (1963). A simplified model for portfolio analysis. Management Science, 9(2), 277–293. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.9.2.277

Sharpe, W. F. (1966). Mutual fund performance. The Journal of Business, 39(1), 119–138. https://doi.org/10.1086/294846

Sharpe, W. F. (1998). The Sharpe ratio. Streetwise – the Best of the Journal of Portfolio Management, 3, 169–185. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400829408-022

Solomon, B. D., & Krishna, K. (2011). The coming sustainable energy transition: History, strategies, and outlook. Energy Policy, 39(11), 7422–7431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.09.009

Tolliver, C., Keeley, A. R., & Managi, S. (2020). Policy targets behind green bonds for renewable energy: Do climate commitments matter?. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 157, Article 120051. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120051

Tudor, C. (2023). Enhancing sustainable finance through green hydrogen equity investments: A multifaceted risk-return analysis. Risks, 11(12), Article 212. https://doi.org/10.3390/risks11120212

Ullah, S. (2023). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on financial markets: A global perspective. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(2), 982–1003. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-022-00970-7

Verbruggen, A., & Yurchenko, Y. (2017). Positioning nuclear power in the low-carbon electricity transition. Sustainability, 9(1), Article 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9010163

Wagner, W. H., & Lau, S. C. (1971). The effect of diversification on risk. Financial Analysts Journal, 27(6), 48–53. https://doi.org/10.2469/faj.v27.n6.48

Wüstenhagen, R., & Menichetti, E. (2012). Strategic choices for renewable energy investment: Conceptual framework and opportunities for further research. Energy Policy, 40, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.06.050

Yang, M., Chen, L., Wang, J., Msigwa, G., Osman, A. I., Fawzy, S., Rooney, D. W., & Yap, P. S. (2023). Circular economy strategies for combating climate change and other environmental issues. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 21(1), 55–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-022-01499-6

Yoo, S., Keeley, A. R., & Managi, S. (2021). Does sustainability activities performance matter during financial crises? Investigating the case of COVID-19. Energy Policy, 155, Article 112330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112330

Yüksel, S., & Dinçer, H. (2022). Identifying the strategic priorities of nuclear energy investments using hesitant 2-tuple interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy DEMATEL. Progress in Nuclear Energy, 145, Article 104103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2021.104103

Zhang, W., Li, B., Xue, R., Wang, Y., & Cao, W. (2021). A systematic bibliometric review of clean energy transition: Implications for low-carbon development. PloS ONE, 16(12), Article e0261091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261091