The “Global Cleantech 100″ Report: cleantech leaders, investment trends, and industry evolution

The CleanTech Group recently released its annual “Global CleanTech 100“. This report has some intriguing insights beyond simply offering a list of emerging clean technology companies.  Some of the key takeaways that we see empirical evidence on the ground include :

• The energy efficiency segment has replaced solar as the hottest segment within the cleantech industry (we note that solar cooling technology partner company ClimateWell AB has made this list again within this segment).
• Asia is making a greater impact on the global cleantech market, particularly China, which flexes its manufacturing muscle to gain leverage in the solar markets, and increasingly China is contributing its own IP to the global innovation race [I won’t comment on China’s Sinochem potential bid on Potash, but here China is flexing its industrial-government complex to increase its holding in the fertilizer / agribusiness sector]
• The continued trend of partnering with large global strategics in order to accelerate market adoption for new technologies, and to aid in distribution, installation, and project financing. Traditional companies like Siemens, GE continue to play an important role, but now surprisingly (or maybe not) we see Google leveraging its enormous free cash flow to help finance large-scale projects as well as new ventures. However, few of these partnerships involve US companies with either Chinese or Indian counterparts, arguably the largest market opportunities…

We particularly agree that critical to global adoption of clean tech innovation will be cross-border cooperation among the innovators and corporates. This is an investment theme of Turnstone Capital, and we expect to see more deals between US and EU innovative technology companies, and mid- to large-cap corporate entities in China, India, and Latin America that can leverage their local manufacturing base and distribution systems. Also, groups like the Clinton Foundation will continue to play in important role linking technologies, corporates, and governments to accelerate adoption of energy-saving initiatives. More on this in another blog.

ML

~ by Marc La Magna on October 14, 2010.