Real Impact Drives Thomas’s Passion for Sustainable Investments
Thomas Knudsen is passionate about investing in innovative – but most importantly impactful – projects that protect the planet from climate change, biodiversity loss and plastic pollution. As a Director of the Rumah Group Foundation, Thomas steers their impact investments and works with a wide range of innovative companies with a focus on sustainability and the environment.
Thomas recently became a key investor in Green Energy as part of the group that executed a LMBO of the company. With three decades of experience in the transportation and logistics sectors, he has held leadership roles across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Currently serving as the non-executive Chairman of Toll Group, Thomas shares his insights with us about impact investments.
“You have been with Rumah Group since 2018. What was the turning point for you from simply caring about climate change to deciding to actively work on impact investments that can play a major role in combating climate change?”
– “Like many, I thought that climate change was something happening in the distant future and it was hard to see that I could personally have an impact. That said, I started to see more and more evidence of climate change happening already – but also plastic pollution and biodiversity loss. So around 2018, my wife and I decided that we had to start investing into solutions that would have a positive impact on nature and in particular the ocean.”
What are the key success criteria you look for when you make an impact investment?
– “The first criteria is whether there is impact. If there’s no impact, we don’t invest regardless of returns. If there is impact and we believe there is potential to scale the solution, we then look at more traditional investing criteria.”
You are now one of the key investors in Green Energy Group. What attracted you to invest in Green Energy?
– “Many climate tech solutions in transportation focus on long-term results, often causing complexity and delayed impact. Green Energy stands out with its ready-to-implement solution that has real impact on emissions, a clear financial business case with limited CAPEX, and a strong executive team with industry expertise.”
How do you view the role of solar power in the transportation sector over the next 10-20 years?
– “The industry focuses heavily on transitioning from ICE vehicles to EVs or hydrogen. Whilst that is where we need to go, this will take decades due to infrastructure and cost challenges. What Green Energy brings is a solution that can have a meaningful impact immediately but importantly also deliver cost savings in an industry with low margins.”
What do you think are the benefits for transportation companies in implementing a CIGS solar solution like Green Energy’s?
– “First of all, there is a strong financial business case that goes beyond emissions. With a short payback period, cost savings can be achieved quickly. Secondly, it doesn’t require significant CAPEX and thus is an easy, no regret move at a time where EV and Hydrogen for heavy vehicles are still developing – and are not cost competitive with traditional ICE vehicles. Last but not least, It doesn’t depend on any significant physical infrastructure and can be implemented on a global scale.”
Where do you think the transportation industry is currently at when it comes to achieving their stated sustainability goals by 2030?
– “Most transport companies are starting to realize that electric and hydrogen vehicles are a long way away from replacing ICE vehicles. There is a lot of investment and innovation but cost is still a real challenge, performance is still not there especially in the heavy end of the spectrum, charging infrastructure is still lacking in most areas thus 2030 targets are looking increasingly difficult.”
How could the transportation industry be doing better when it comes to reducing their impact on the environment?
– “I think most industries could do more to reduce their impact but it’s clear that the financial business case is still not there in many cases. I see no reason why Hydrogen and Battery technology would not improve and be competitive in 10 years’ time. I think the immediate opportunity though is to focus on existing technology – be it solar, improved fuel efficiency, better aero dynamics, driver behavior and higher utilization. The great thing about each of these is that they are both reducing emissions and lowering costs and thus the business case does not need regulatory changes or incentives to be attractive.”
Where do you believe are the main opportunities for Green Energy Group?
– “The beauty of the Green Energy solution is its compatibility with existing energy systems, requiring no time-consuming infrastructure or innovation to scale. It can be applied in maritime, public transport, and areas with high energy costs or underdeveloped power grids.”
