Get in or Get Left Behind

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“Technologies that improve efficiency or open up new sources for things such as water are profitable,” says Fan. “Also, opportunities in recycling range from designing new methods of sorting and managing waste to applying advances in chemical and material sciences to make use of previously unusable garbage.”

 

Venture capitalists are investing in batteries, power electronics, and engines focused on optimizing efficiency, says David Prend, co-founder of Rockport Capital Partners, a cleantech venture fund in Boston and Menlo Park, California. Prend adds that green building and smart utility grids are also in demand.

 

Of course, one of the greatest challenges for the growth of cleantech companies has been inconsistent regulations and policies, says Ron Pernick, co-author of The Clean Revolution (Harper Collins; $26.95) and managing director of Clean Edge Inc., a Portland, Oregon-based firm that tracks and analyzes cleantech markets.

 

“Case in point: the investment tax credit and production tax credit for renewables is about to expire if Congress doesn’t extend it,” says Pernick. “Places where we’ve seen the greatest growth are those that have long-term plans and programs in place such as in Japan, Germany, and California.”

 

He adds that some growth areas to watch out for are bio-energy and biomaterials harvested from waste streams and dedicated energy crops such as algae used for biodiesel.

 

TELECOM: 1 TRILLION AND GROWING

With the amount of sensitive data exchanged over the Internet via phones and computers, ancillary opportunities for entrepreneurs who provide security