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What do we know about the idiosyncratic risk of clean energy equities?

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  • Roy, Preeti
  • Ahmad, Wasim
  • Sadorsky, Perry
  • Phani, B.V.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic stimulated the need to invest in clean energy firms for better returns and climate risk mitigation. This study provides a detailed overview of the impact of idiosyncratic risk (IVOL) on excess returns of 95 clean energy stocks. Overall, investors in clean energy stocks are guided by the pessimist group of investors who underprice the high IVOL stocks and demand high-risk premiums to diversify the firm-specific risk. Further, during the COVID-19 period, there is no significant relationship between clean energy excess stock returns and IVOL. During this period, clean energy stocks were exposed to higher information asymmetry, limiting the arbitrage opportunities and producing a weaker return-IVOL relation indicating that clean energy stocks reflect the properties of technology stocks. IVOL has a low level of persistence which may be helpful in forecasting. This study offers valuable insights for regulators and investors from the investment decisions, asset pricing, and diversification perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Roy, Preeti & Ahmad, Wasim & Sadorsky, Perry & Phani, B.V., 2022. "What do we know about the idiosyncratic risk of clean energy equities?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:112:y:2022:i:c:s0140988322003218
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106167
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Clean energy stocks; Idiosyncratic risk; Systematic risk; Asset mispricing; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources

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