In Coming Clean: The Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2012, Cleantech Group and WWF looks at where entrepreneurial cleantech companies are growing today, reasons as to where they will spring-up over the coming years, and which countries are falling above and below the curve for fostering cleantech innovation.

Thirty-eight countries were evaluated on 15 indicators related to the creation and commercialisation of cleantech start-ups, generating an index measuring each one’s potential, relative to their economic size, to produce entrepreneurial cleantech start-up companies and commercialise clean technology innovations over the next 10 years.

“The global macro-economic landscape is shifting; fostering entrepreneurial start-ups and growth companies with clean technology solutions will be an increasingly important part of countries’ competitiveness on the world stage” said Richard Youngman, Managing Director Europe & Asia, Cleantech Group.

The four top scoring countries were Denmark, Israel, Sweden and Finland. These countries all have small economies and while they are the source of much innovation, they have less ability to scale-up companies. These small countries need innovative approaches and collaboration to compensate for the lack of large domestic markets and inconsistent availability of finance throughout a company’s life-cycle.

“This index shows that several countries are on the right track, but clearly much more needs to be done if we are to properly address climate change and achieve a transition towards a global 100 percent renewable future,” said Samantha Smith, leader of WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative.

“The overwhelming majority of capital required for making the transition to a low-carbon future will come from a variety of private sources. Developing a working recipe for strengthening the flow of public-private finance towards early as well as later stage cleantech is key for countries that want to taste the economic success of cleantech,” she added.

North America and northern Europe emerged as the primary contributors to the development of innovative cleantech companies.

The US placed fifth in the Index. However in absolute terms, without factoring in economic size, the United States leads in many measures of cleantech innovation: the country has the greatest public cleantech R&D budget, the greatest number of cleantech start-ups and investors, as well as the most venture capital, private equity, and M&A deals in cleantech. 

However, the Asia Pacific region performs well when it comes to scaling up entrepreneurial cleantech companies to wider commercial success and revenue creation.

While currently seeing fewer emerging cleantech start-ups and placing 13th, China leads in cleantech manufacturing, is strong in early-stage growth, and shows potential to produce more early stage innovation in the future.

The country is rapidly gaining access to funding due to success in raising money for cleantech-focused funds. Additionally, China has been home to the majority of cleantech IPOs since 2009, many of which listed on the recently established ChiNext board of the Shenzhen stock exchange.

Similarly, India scores 12th but is performing well in fund raising towards Cleantech focused funds and has much activity in later stage Cleantech companies.

Coming Clean: The Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2012 is available as a free download from both Cleantech Group and WWF.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors
A free webinar, The Global State of Cleantech, discussing the findings is scheduled for February 28, 2012 at 9am GMT as well as 6pm GMT. Register at http://info.cleantech.com/CleantechIndexWebinar.html

For more information, please contact

Stefan Henningsson, Senior Adviser Climate Innovation, WWF International, +46 70 57 99 291, stefan.henningsson@wwf.panda.org, Twitter: shenningsson

Barbara Evaeus, Manager Climate Communications, WWF Sweden, Barbara.evaeus@wwf.se, +46 70 393 90 30

Launched by Sir Richard Branson in February 2007, the Virgin Earth Challenge will award of $25 million to the candidate that can demonstrate a design for net removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere as a means of stabilizing anthropogenic climate change. The jury is comprised of very knowledgeable and distinguished members including Branson, Al Gore, Dr. James Hansen and Tim Flannery.

As of October 2011, the leading organisations in the Earth Challenge are: Biochar Solutions, from the US; Biorecro, from Sweden; Black Carbon, from Denmark; Carbon Engineering, from Canada; Climeworks, from Switzerland; Coaway, from the US; Full Circle Biochar, from the US; Global Thermostat, from the US; Kilimanjaro Energy, from the US, the Savory Institute, from the US and Smart Stones from the Netherlands. Certainly a number of interesting solutions that we’re looking forward to hearing more about!

Read more on the Virgin Earth Challenge here.

Solvatten has been short-listed for two prestigious awards, one in the USA and one in the UK. The themes of the awards – food sustainability and green innovation – illustrate the broad range of benefits offered by the technology.

The SAACC Deloitte Award recognizes innovative and groundbreaking small Swedish business focused on viable energy alternatives and energy conservation. Solvatten is one of the short-listed companies and will be presented at a Royal Gala Award Dinner in New York on the 1st of November. The organisers are the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and the jury is made up of academics and CEOs from leading Swedish companies.

The winners of the UK-based International Green Awards will be announced three weeks later in London at a dinner in the world-famous Natural History Museum. The awards are made annually in several categories and Solvatten is short-listed for the Best Green Product Innovation.

Our Climate Solvers will be presented at a conference in central Stockholm later this morning. In addition to the presentation of these Climate Solvers we have a number of very interesting speakers lined up who will support the theme Global Challenges – Global Opportunities.

The following is the list of the technologies chosen this year. Climate Solvers 2011:

Super-efficient insulation material – Svenska Aerogel

Intelligent charging stations for electric vehicles – ChargeStorm

ClimaCheck perfomance Analyser – ClimaCheck

Energy storage systems – SEEC

You will find more detailed information on these new additions at the top of the list under the Innovations section of this website. Enjoy!

 Since 2008 we have showcased the incredible potential for CO2 emission reductions with climate innovations. With reality checks from countries all over the world we want to make it clear what it takes to deploy climate innovations at the speed and scale we need. And I can tell you this much: it’s not about the technology!

Get inspired about the rationale for exploring new forms of collaboration! Get updated about policy instruments that need to be put in place! Get serious about private investments if we’re gonna get anywhere at all!

My warm and sincere gratitude to all of you who’ve been part of this process so far – entrepreneurs, researchers, agencies, incubators, corporates, investors, cities – and who continue the struggle to build stronger, better-performing climate innovation systems to enable the transition to a low carbon future. If you want to join forces, please be in touch. There’s a job to do out there, and we need to do it now!”

Magnus Emfel

Manager Climate Innovations, WWF Sweden

Read more here.