Patricia Voorhees, a director with The Alta Group, will lead a panel discussion on the rapidly developing climate finance market at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s 62^nd annual convention, which will be held Oct. 22-24 in Phoenix.

Climate-focused equipment is forecast to generate $18 trillion in financing opportunity between now and 2030, according to the ELFA’s Top 10 Equipment Acquisition Trends for 2023. During the panel, Voorhees and other industry experts will discuss “Sustainable Innovation: Driving Climate Finance in Today’s Market” in one of four breakout sessions scheduled for Oct. 23. The session is supported by the ELFA’s climate finance working group, which Voorhees chairs.

Joining Voorhees on the panel will be Ben Speed, vice president for global structured finance and private credit with Johnson Controls Capital; Jon Davies, vice president for sustainable finance with Mitsubishi HC Capital; Michael Dow, partner with Womble Bond Dickinson; and Lou Maslowe, chief risk officer for the commercial domain with DLL.

The panel will provide real-world examples of profitable ways companies can participate in the enormous market opportunity for climate-focused equipment. Panelists will discuss how they are providing solutions across sectors, including mobility and energy, highlighting their approach and the risks and opportunities they have uncovered along the way. The panel will also provide an overview of research currently underway by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation on clean energy and climate finance.

Voorhees is a recognized thought leader who has written and presented widely on the market-entry opportunity presented by this asset sector, which targets equipment, services or projects that reduce carbon emissions or mitigate the environmental impact of excessive carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gas emissions. Examples include equipment for energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture and transport, renewables and climate resilience.

Voorhees previously spoke about the topic at the both the ELFA’s Credit and Collections Management Conference in June and the ELFA’s Legal Forum in April, and authored an article earlier this year on the subject for Monitor. Along with fellow Alta advisor Ian Robertson, Voorhees also co-wrote a three-part series about building a strategy to participate in the climate equipment opportunity for Equipment Finance Advisor.

The ELFA formed its climate finance working group in 2022 to determine the size of the market and to provide education, best practices and government advocacy.