Solar energy investments have taken a battering during the past year, despite plummeting oil prices.
The average share price drop for global solar panel manufacturers is even more severe than the fall in Australian energy and mining stocks.
The Brent crude oil price has almost halved since September, sinking to $US60 a barrel in January.
But investors have shunned solar cell technology on the mistaken belief that cheaper crude oil is bad even for green power stocks, says Australian Ethical, a listed managed investment company which favours socially-responsible commerce.
"People are making that mistaken link that as the price of energy falls, then ... things like expensive solar or expensive wind become less attractive," said Nathan Lim, portfolio manager of international equities.
Investors wanting to globally invest their superannuation or savings in solar companies can put their funds into Australian Ethical's International Equities Trust.
Solar energy companies are only minuscule players on the Australian Securities Exchange, with solar energy manufacturer Silex Systems last year restructuring to focus on uranium enrichment technology.
"A lot of these companies are quite small so for mums and dads, it may be a bit hard for them to get involved because they require quite a lot of research to get comfortable with," Mr Lim said.
Green-minded, global investors lost money on solar energy in the year to February 28 even though broad-based renewable energy technology shares posted strong gains, on average.
By comparison, Australia's oil and gas companies and the mining giants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto suffered sharp falls during the same period.
ENERGY SECTOR INDICES DURING THE PAST YEAR
* Ardour Solar Energy, down 22.6pct, in $A terms
* MSCI Global Climate, up 16.4pct
* S&P/ASX Energy, down 15.6pct
* S&P/ASX Materials, down 6.1pct
(Source: Australian Ethical; Iress)
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