Global Cleantech 100 list unveiled – one Australian makes it

The Cleantech Group revealed its fourth annual Global Cleantech 100 list and report on Monday, and awarded winners in several categories at at the Global Cleantech 100 Gala at the Italian Embassy in Washington on Monday night. Only one Australian company, BuildingIQ, a CSIRO spin-off that specialises in energy efficiency measures in buildings, made the list.

The list of 100 recognises “the one hundred most promising and innovative companies in areas such as energy efficiency, biofuels & biochemicals, smart grid, renewable energy, water and waste, and transportation,” as well as those the expert panel believe are “most likely to make a significant market impact over the next five to ten years.”

BuildingIQ has developed several software products to optimize building efficiency, focusing on high volume air conditioning systems in commercial buildings. The company has partnered with several large real estate companies in both Australia and the US to roll out the software systems across a range of properties.

“The Global Cleantech 100 is a natural extension of our companywide mission to help corporations, investors and financiers, professional service firms and governmental agencies connect with global cleantech innovation” said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO. “This report celebrates the best in innovation and is the industry standard for gauging where cleantech innovation is headed next.”

Company of the Year was awarded in each of three regions to the highest-ranked company with no negative votes from the expert panel:

• Opower, developer of a software-as-a-service that utilizes customer engagement and billing analytics for utilities, won for the region of North America.
• NovaLED, developer of energy-saving, long-life organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), won for the region of Europe & Israel.
• Miartech, designer of integrated circuits for power line communication systems, utilizing power lines as a medium for transmitting information, won for the region of Asia Pacific.

Other categories:

• Rising Star of the Year, given to the highest-ranked new entrant on this year’s list, was awarded to Clean Power Finance, provider of power purchase (PPA) financing for solar PV installations, as well as customer acquisition software for installers.
• The Continued Excellence award, given to the highest-ranked of companies that have made it onto the Global Cleantech 100 list for at least the last three consecutive years was awarded to Harvest Power, which maximizes the value of organic materials through the production of renewable energy and soils, mulches, and natural fertilizers.
• Early Stage Company of the Year, given to the highest-ranked product development stage company was awarded to Siluria Technologies, developer of methane conversion technology for creating fuels and chemicals from natural gas.

Awards were also given in two investor categories:

• Google Ventures won Corporate Investor of the Year, as the corporate investor with the largest percentage of its cleantech venture portfolio in the 2012 Global Cleantech 100.
• An award was given to Bright Capital for Investor of the Year as the financial investor with the largest percentage of its cleantech venture portfolio in the 2012 Global Cleantech 100.

Qualification for the Global Cleantech 100 list required companies to be independent, for-profit, cleantech companies not listed on any major stock exchange.

The 2012 list saw 5,117 companies nominated from 85 different countries, who were then shortlisted down to 236, who were then submitted to the 75-member expert panel for input, including input from leading global investors and a wide range of corporate executives from multi-national enterprises, such as ABB, BP, Ecolab, GE, General Motors, IBM, Intel, Johnson Controls, Procter and Gamble, and Vestas.

“The Global Cleantech 100 list reveals an increasing maturity of the cleantech sector,” said Colin le Duc, Partner, General Investment Management LLP and member of the 2012 expert panel.

“In contrast to what the press and stock markets may have you believe, many private cleantech companies are gaining real market traction, generating significant revenues and profits and contributing materially to the challenges of resource efficiency and the climate crisis. The best companies in this sector are demonstrating the value of focus and persistence and are emerging as stronger organizations for having thrived in a very challenging environment over recent years.”

2012 Global Cleantech 100 Quick Facts:

• 13 countries are represented in the 2012 list. The United States is the most highly represented country with 64 companies.
• Energy efficiency remains the hottest growing sector within cleantech, with 22 companies on the list, up from 19 in 2011 and 15 in 2010.
• Solar’s representation in the 100 falls again, down 40% from what it was in 2009.
• Corporations continue to be ever more active in global cleantech innovation – as investors, partners, licensees, customers, and acquirers of Global Cleantech 100 companies. GE is the most active overall partner with 2012 Global Cleantech 100 companies, followed by Siemens, Google, IBM, and Waste Management.
• Over 400 investing entities, from 28 different countries, have a shareholding in the 100 companies. Kleiner Perkins is the most prolific shareholder of 2012 Global Cleantech 100 companies. It has invested in 19 companies in the list, representing 44% of its overall cleantech portfolio.

This article was originally published on Cleantechnica, re-published with permission.