ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. ("Hannon Armstrong," "we," "our" or the "Company;" NYSE: HASI), a leading capital provider to the energy efficiency and renewable energy markets, today announced the release of its 2nd Annual Sustainability Report Card, which detailed 54 investments with estimated savings of over 340,500 tons of greenhouse gases ("GHG") annually at an average rate of .39 MT GHG/$1,000 of investment.

"If carbon counts and capital is scarce, we believe in evaluating investments not only for their financial returns, but also for their impact in reducing GHG. We, therefore, screen each investment against our sustainability definition: assets that are neutral to negative on GHG emissions, and consider the amount of capital necessary to achieve the reduction," said Jeffrey Eckel, President & CEO of Hannon Armstrong.  "In a world increasingly defined by carbon, we believe reporting this level of detail on investments will grow in importance to investors."

The GHG savings for each of Hannon Armstrong's financings are converted into an estimate of metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions based upon the project's location and the corresponding emissions factor data from the U.S. Government and International Energy Administration.  We estimate that assets financed by Hannon Armstrong in 2014 will reduce emissions by more than 340,577 metric tons of GHG per year, equivalent to more than 165,000 tons of coal, and save more than 145 million gallons of water annually. 

In a related event, The Alliance to Save Energy's CarbonCount™ (the "Alliance"), a system for scoring the carbon impacts of green bonds, was a recent winner of Bloomberg New Energy Finance's Finance for Resilience competition. CarbonCount was built in part using the principles pioneered by Hannon Armstrong in its Sustainability Report Cards.  Kateri Callahan, Executive Director of the Alliance, said, "Hannon has led the way on this methodology and the Alliance intends to build on these efforts so that the green bond industry has a reliable certification metric on carbon impact." Hannon Armstrong intends to pursue a CarbonCount rating from the Alliance on its future public and privately placed bond issuances. 

"Our investment thesis is that superior risk-adjusted returns will be achieved with a diverse portfolio of assets that sit on the right side of the climate change issue and thus contributing to our Sustainable Yield℠advantage," continued Eckel. 

To view a copy of Hannon Armstrong's 2^nd Annual Sustainability Report Card, please visit: www.hannonarmstrong.com

About Hannon Armstrong

Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI) provides debt and equity financing to the energy efficiency and renewable energy markets.  We focus on providing preferred or senior level capital to established sponsors and high credit quality obligors for assets that generate long-term, recurring and predictable cash flows.  The Company is based in Annapolis, Maryland and elected and qualified to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (REIT) for federal income-tax purposes beginning with the taxable year ended December 31, 2013.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the information contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. When used in this press release, the words such as "believe," "expect, "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may," or similar expressions, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include those discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" included in the Company's report on Form 10-K that was filed with the SEC, as well as in other reports that the Company files with the SEC.

Forward-looking statements are based on beliefs, assumptions and expectations as of the date of this press release. The Company disclaims any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements reflecting new estimates, events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.
Investor Relations Inquiries:
Investors@hannonarmstrong.com
410-571-6189

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SOURCE Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc.