What is CleanTech?
In 2002, a venture capitalist in Toronto, Nicholas Parker, originally coined the term “cleantech” when he created the Cleantech Network in Silicon Valley. The term is short for clean technology, which is now the third largest category for overall venture capital investments, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Major investment banks and public pension fund like CalPERS have also invested heavily in the sector.
“Clean is more than green. Clean technology, or “cleantech”, should not be confused with the terms environmental technology or “green tech” popularized in the 1970’s and 80’s. Cleantech is new technology and related business models offering competitive returns for investors and customers while providing solutions to global challenges. Where greentech, or envirotech, represents the highly regulatory driven, “end-of–pipe” technology of the past with limited opportunity for attractive returns, cleantech is driven by market economics therefore offering greater financial upside and sustainability.” –CleanTech Group
“Clean technology [refers to] technology that optimizes the use of resources while reducing ecological impacts and delivering solid economic performance . . . [in] a broad scope of industries, including those related to energy, water, materials (including green chemistry), transportation and design/planning.” - U.S. Dep’t of Commerce, Clean Technology Initiative
“Clean tech is] a diverse range of products, services, and processes that harness renewable materials and energy sources, dramatically reduce the use of natural resources, and cut or eliminate emissions and wastes . . . [which are] are competitive with, if not superior to, their conventional counterparts.” –Clean Edge
“Clean energy - sources of energy that do not add to the already high levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the environment.” — U.S. Dep’t of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Research
“Cleantech – which refers to renewable, sustainable, and/or environmentally safe technologies – is a rapidly growing industry segment.” –PARC Research
Cleantech is the composite of the several technology sectors, which include (1) energy generation, management and storage, and energy efficiency, including solar, wind, geothermal, fuels cell and hydrogen (2) transportation: advanced transportation technologies, biofuels (3) materials and green building: includes advanced materials and engineering approaches, materials recover (4) water and air related technologies. –SustainLane
“Alternative Fuels & Energy Sources: R&D investments should focus on technologies that develop alternative energy sources such as the Hybrid Intelligent Power program and support the development of intelligent power management architectures that will fundamentally change power management, storage, and distribution on the battlefield. Technologies that support the development of new fuel sources using novel methods and sources, and technologies that increase the energy density of fuel cells while reducing the size and integrating multiple requirements into a single system, such as water and waste management should also be pursued.” -Dep’t of Defense
“Energy & Power Technologies: The demands for electric power and energy in modern weapon systems are increasing rapidly. Platforms demand more auxiliary as well as primary power for longer endurance operations. In DoD’s volume and/or weight limited systems, smaller packages, particularly sensor systems, have been the beneficiary of new power and energy technologies. Sensor system power requirements continue to increase because of the significant increase in capability that sensors bring to warfighting. Technologies that enhance power generation, energy storage, and power control and distribution, such as thermal management, are essential to achieving warfighting goals and should rive investments in this area.” - Dep’t of Defense
