Global X Debuts 2 Renewables ETFs

Global X launched two ETFs covering the solar and wind energy industries, bringing some concentration to an existing stable of broader clean energy ETFs.

The Global X Solar ETF (RAYS) and the Global X Wind Energy ETF (WNDY) debuted on the Nasdaq Thursday morning, both bearing an expense ratio of 0.50%.

The two funds follow custom indices from Solactive that track global companies involved in producing raw materials for wind turbines and solar panels, or are involved in installing and generating power from those systems. Companies with less than $200 million in market capitalization are excluded, as are companies deemed to be in violation of the United Nations Global Compact.

While a handful of clean energy ETFs tracking the broad industry are already on the market, Global X’s newest offerings only have one direct competitor each. The First Trust Global Wind Energy ETF (FAN) is slightly more expensive than WNDY at 62 basis points and has so far lost 2.8% during the year, while the Invesco Solar ETF (TAN) costs 68 basis points and has lost 16.27% year-to-date.

The timing for RAY’s launch unintentionally coincided with the Biden administration’s release of a plan to expand solar’s size in the U.S. energy mix from 4% today to 50% by 2050, and is the second Global X fund that stands to benefit from the vast policy proposals from the White House.

The other is the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE), which is the largest infrastructure industry ETF on the market at a time when Congress is largely in agreement over a $1 trillion hard infrastructure spending plan but debating a broader $3.5 trillion budget.

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