Global listed infrastructure companies, on average, were down 0.80 percent in August, but their long-term annualized total return is 11.8 percent. In comparison, global equities recorded 0.91 percent, according to the FTSE Global Equity Index, and 1.28 percent, according to the MSCI World Index, while global bonds were up 0.19 percent during the month.

Reid Capalino is a principal with the Aligned Intermediary (AI), an investment advisory group created to help long-term investors channel institutional capital into clean energy, water infrastructure, and waste-to-value projects.

The world is undergoing a deep structural shift in how it powers industry, homes and transportation. Although this shift is vast — crossing both different types of energy and different parts of the supply chain — the main thrust is the shift from coal and nuclear energy to cleaner sources, notably natural gas and renewables. At the same time, the proliferation of electronics, including electric cars, is resulting in steady power demand growth even as economic and population growth decelerate.