Some examples: The German government-owned development bank KfW has launched the first public-private parallel investment program specifically for social entrepreneurs.
But projects such as the Bahnstadt show the energy revolution and European efficiency goals "have put very low energy buildings much more strongly in investors' focus, " said Stephan Sperl, a spokesman for German state lender KfW Bankengruppe, which offers low-interest construction loans for energy-efficient residential buildings.