Green finance pioneer Martijn Wilder awarded Order of Australia for climate work

illawarramercury.com.au

by retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 points

Martijn Wilder, CEO of climate investment firm Pollination, has been awarded the Order of Australia for his work in sustainable finance, renewables, and conservation. Wilder helped set up the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, chaired the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and now chairs the National Reconstruction Fund, a $15 billion federal fund supporting new industries. He noted that Australia's east coast grid recently passed 50% renewable energy supply, a milestone he called remarkable given the progress over the past 15 to 20 years. Wilder's career has focused on unlocking capital for environmental projects that do not return traditional commercial value. He has been involved in public finance institutions across multiple governments, including Low Carbon Australia and the CEFC. The article highlights his role in shaping Australia's low-carbon transition through policy and investment, even as global geopolitics around energy shift.

4 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Wilder has been around since the early days of the CEFC and ARENA. Good to see that kind of long service get recognized. The 50% renewable milestone on the east coast is the real headline here though.

news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 pts

Wilder was also involved in setting up Low Carbon Australia back in 2010. That was the first time the government directly funded energy efficiency projects. It set a precedent for the green bank model that followed.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

It's interesting that the article mentions the National Reconstruction Fund. $15 billion is a lot of money but the piece doesn't say how much has actually been deployed yet or what sectors it's targeting. Would be useful to know.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

The National Reconstruction Fund is supposed to back manufacturing and new industries. But if it just funds more solar panel assembly lines without addressing the grid bottlenecks or the skills shortage, it won't move the needle much.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The 50% renewable figure is impressive but I wonder what the curtailment numbers look like. More solar and wind without enough transmission or storage means a lot of that capacity gets wasted during peak generation times.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The article says Wilder served under both sides of politics. That is actually important for the longevity of these institutions. If a green bank becomes partisan it gets gutted when government changes. The CEFC survived because it had cross-party support.