Global Cleantech 100 Index: Israel “The Stand-Out Country”

The prestigious research firm Cleantech Group has just published its fourth annual Global Cleantech 100 list, which lists the upcoming private companies to watch in the global cleantech arena. Israel, which ranked as the #2 country in the 2012 Global Cleantech Innovation Index, is in a unique leadership position, with companies that are both innovative and market-minded.

The Cleantech Group refer to their most recent report as their annual “barometer reading” of the global innovation community’s shifting views on which companies, and which types of companies, are most likely to have big commercial impact in a 5-10 year time frame. If Israel was recognized in previous reports, this report solidifies its strength in the global cleantech market. One of the “headlines” of the report cites that “…when looking at the concentration of companies per $trn of GDP, Israel is the stand-out country.”

“Israel’s strong technology and entrepreneurial culture is well-regarded across the cleantech world. And its strong local innovation ecosystem, supported by the consistent presence of a governmental program like Israel NewTech, looks set to bring forward more promising cleantech start-ups in the future,” commented Richard Youngman, Cleantech Group MD for Europe and Asia and co-author or both the Global Cleantech 100 and the Global Cleantech Innovation Index.

In the Report, Youngman specified the trends he sees in today’s global cleantech sphere. One of these he calls “Real need, real problem. Right now.” He explains that “…the rigid focus on what exact market problem can a company address is top of mind today.” And Israel seems to be sitting on a unique “sweet spot” â€" its companies both innovative but also very market minded. This is evidenced by the fact that Israel was ranked the #2 most innovative country, but also has 6 companies on the 2012 Global Cleantech 100 list (#1 in the Innovation Index Denmark, for example, has only 2 companies in the list).

Oded Distel, head of Israel NewTech, expands on this: “Due to the economic climate in the world, the cleantech market is today much more focused on problem solving, and meeting real market needs. This trend requires companies to provide more efficient solutions, faster and spot on to customer needs. Israeli companies excel at this, and together with their innovative character, the combination makes for their success.”

Distel continues, “We at Israel NewTech actually work daily to help Israeli companies meet the demands of different markets worldwide. We scour the globe to explore the needs of the different markets, and to communicate those needs to Israeli companies. We’re doing this successfully, for example, with the mining industry in South America, and the textile industry in India, both of which require specific water solutions to meet their goals for efficiency. Our efforts include bringing delegations of relevant Israeli companies to these areas and arranging for meetings which often bring about business opportunities.”

Israel is one of only 13 countries which made the cut of the 2012 Global Cleantech 100 list this year, and has 6 companies on the list, 2 more than in 2011. The companies are: Cellera, Emefcy, Kaiima, Panoramic Power, Takadu, and TIGI. To this impressive list can be added BrightSource and SolarEdge, which are listed as U.S. companies but have their technological roots in Israel.

Article appearing courtesy Israel NewTech.