Shanu Mathew

Shanu Mathew, Senior Vice President at Lazard Asset Management and an expert in sustainable equities, dives into the contrasting performances of clean tech sectors in 2024. He highlights a 20% drop in 'Core' Cleantech versus the remarkable success of 'Periphery' companies like Siemens Energy. Shanu discusses the underlying fundamentals of this divergence, including interest rates and political uncertainties. He also sheds light on the electricity demand surge driven by AI and datacenters, and predicts a potential positive rebalancing for Core Cleantech in 2025.

Shanu Mathew, Senior VP at Lazard Asset Management, discusses the shift in institutional investment strategies towards energy amid market turmoil. Amy Myers Jaffe, Director at NYU's Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab, shares insights on cleantech and low-carbon investment hurdles. They explore the departure of major oil companies from renewables, the connection between oil prices and cleantech funding, and the growing impact of data centers on energy demand. Their analysis questions whether the clean energy transition is slowing down or simply recalibrating.

In this enlightening discussion, guests Shanu Mathew, an investment expert at Lazard Asset Management, and Varun Sivaram, Founder & CEO of Emerald AI, explore how AI could become an ally for the energy grid instead of a burden. They delve into the concept of flexibility, explaining how AI data centers can adjust their power consumption during peak stress. This shift could allow for faster integration into the grid, unlocking a potential $4 trillion investment opportunity. They also address how innovation in energy strategies is crucial for the future sustainability of power systems.

Climate tech stocks have been underperforming in the public markets for months due to factors like higher interest rates and election uncertainty. The podcast discusses trends in EVs, solar, and lithium, as well as investors moving funds into climate tech stocks. Analysts' expectations for climate tech stocks in the near- and long-term are also explored.

Shanu Matthew, Senior VP at Lazard Asset Management, specializes in sustainable equity investing. He reveals Lazard's unique stock selection process, blending financial metrics with a sustainability scorecard. Shanu discusses the financial performance of transition stocks and the massive scale of AI-driven data center investments, including hyperscaler capital expenditures. He explores creative power solutions and the geographical nuances of data center growth, while emphasizing the critical role of batteries in future energy solutions.