Viridis Clean Energy Group (VIR)

Shares / Stock Code

VIR

Stock Exchange / Sharemarket

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Viridis Clean Energy Group (VIR) is an energy infrastructure fund which invests in and manages a global portfolio of clean energy assets. Investment is focused on assets that generate electricity or other consumable energy produced from renewable, waste or low emission energy sources, including wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, solar, waste fuel, coal seam methane and natural gas. The fund primarily targets equity investments but also considers debt or hybrid investments. VIR invests in Australia, UK, Germany and the US. VIR shares are traded on the Australian stock market.

VIR listed on Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) on 14 September, 2005. VIR invests exclusively in the clean energy sector. The company spreads its investments across a number of geographic regions with different climatic and seasonal conditions and across a number of technologies and fuel sources to achieve portfolio diversification.

Major shareholders/customers include small share funds, institutions and retail investors. VIR competes with other investment companies and funds, with an interest in the clean energy sector. Its subsidiaries include Viridis (Europe) Pty Limited, Viridis (Europe II) Pty Limited, Viridis Energy Pty Limited, Viridis (Denmark) ApS, Viridis Holdings (Germany) ApS, Viridis (Germany) GmbH, Viridis (Lower Saxony) GmbH & Co KG, Viridis (Blender Windpark) GmbH & Co KG and Viridis (Sehnde Lehrte Windpark) GmbH & Co KG.

Geothermal

Geothermal energy technologies exploit the heat of the earth for electricity production by using underground reservoirs of dry steam or hot water. Electricity can be generated through several methods; dry steam can be fed directly into a turbine to generate electricity; flash steam plants convert pressurised water from high-temperature water reservoirs to steam, which is then directed to a turbine to generate electricity; and binary power plants transfer the heat of a geothermal fluid to a separate “working” fluid, which boils to a vapour and is directed to a turbine for power production.

Solar

The energy contained in sunlight can be harnessed to generate electricity. There are two main ways of doing this. One is by the use of photovoltaic devices, made up of special types of material in which energy in sunlight induces electrical current. The other method concentrates or focuses the thermal energy in sunlight by means of lenses or mirrors. The lenses or mirrors are arranged in a dish, trough or tower configuration. The generated heat can then be used to drive a steam generator to generate electricity.