Over the next two decades, we must invest nearly $50 trillion globally to prevent the worst effects of climate change.[1] Aligned believes this is a unique opportunity to generate strong financial returns while also achieving meaningful environmental and social impact.
For more than a decade, Aligned’s senior management has been at the forefront of using financial tools to address climate change. Before founding Aligned Climate Capital, CEO Peter Davidson and COO Brendan Bell were appointed by President Obama to manage the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office (LPO) and its $32 billion portfolio of innovative clean energy investments. The projects they oversaw included some of the most catalytic public investments in clean energy at the time, including many of the first utility-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects in the United States, as well as a loan to Tesla Motors.
After leaving government service, Davidson and Bell joined with current Aligned Climate Capital General Counsel Lawrence Rodman to manage Aligned Intermediary, an investment advisor focused on accelerating the flow of institutional capital into climate infrastructure. This platform advised twelve institutional investors including TIAA Global Asset Management, Church Commissioners for England, the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, and the University of California Regents on direct investments in this sector. The Hewlett Foundation, the Macarthur Foundation, ClimateWorks, and other philanthropies were instrumental in launching Aligned Intermediary and supporting its early operations.
In 2019, the leadership team saw the need for an asset manager focused exclusively on climate-related investments across different asset classes. With the support of its institutional advisory clients, the team ended Aligned Intermediary and its advisory work and launched Aligned Climate Capital.
Today, Aligned has over $1.8 billion of assets under management (as of 12/31/21) across three investment strategies: Aligned Climate Fund (venture capital), Aligned Solar Partners (tax-advantaged distributed solar), and Ares Climate Infrastructure Partners (a joint venture with Ares Infrastructure and Power Group). Based out of offices in Los Angeles and New York City, our team of thirteen professionals draws from prior experience in finance, renewable energy development, and electric utilities. Aligned’s investment strategies continue our long-term mission of mobilizing private capital to solve climate change, guided by a vision that the success of our firm, our investors, our partners, and the planet we share are all Aligned.