Expert panel and methodology

Judging would have been difficult enough if it had been confined to innovations in just one category, say, solar power. But our expert panel had to compare solar against water, wind, geothermal and other clean methods for generating electricity and, still more taxing, pit these technologies against emergy advanced batteries and a host of promising energy efficiency approaches.

Some fields were far more developed than others. Many energy efficiency and water treatment products were already available, while a large proportion of the solar and biofuel companies were, and still are, very much in the development stage.

Input into which companies should be included was received from hundreds of cleantech experts around the world – investors, entrepreneurs, and other industry insiders. They were asked: “which private cleantech companies show the most commercial promise? Which have the most potential and highest likelihood of achieving high growth and high market impact?”

The Cleantech Group, advised by the below panel of 35 experts who also participated in the first round, then drew up a shortlist based on the collective weighted opinion of the hundreds-strong expert community originally involved. More than 3,500 companies were whittled down to 100.

The Global Cleantech 100 companies named in this list all had to be unlisted, private and independent companies. Most have already attracted traditional venture capital funding, and many will need still more before realising their market potential and cash flow breakeven. This reality appeared to have skewed the list in favor of the United States, Europe and countries that have an Anglo-Saxon style economy or at least are open to using venture capital to launch promising companies.

The final list is a fascinating glimpse into the future. Some entries have established products and merely need more capital to expand faster, while others need time to prove they are on to a winner. All invite scrutiny by venture capitalists. Some might not hit the jackpot but, if they have made it into this list, all have the potential to make magnificent returns for the investor, and the planet.

The 2009 Global Cleantech 100 Expert Panel

Sylvia Burks, partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Damian Carrington, head of environment, the Guardian
Hans Dellenbach, chief financial officer, Emerald Technology Ventures, Zurich
John Denniston, partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers
Stephan Dolezalek, technology specialist, VantagePoint Venture Partners
Robert Markus Feldmann, partner, practice leader cleantech and renewables, Deloitte
Rick Fratus, senior vice-president, Macquarie Funds Group
Ben Goldsmith, leading investor and board member, WHEB Ventures
Peter S. H. Grubstein, founder and managing director NGEN Partners
Rhea Hamilton, senior investment manager, Robeco Private Equity
Elke Heiss, vice president, Sterling Communications
Bjarne Henning Jensen, investment director in cleantech, Vaekstfonden
Katie Hill, energy portfolio manager, Acumen Fund
Alex Hook, manager, cleantech sector, Nesta
Alok Jha, science and environment correspondent, the Guardian
Ajay Mehta, managing director and chief executive officer, Crossover Advisors
Gregory Miller, director, philanthropic affairs, Google.org
Astorre Modena, founder and general partner, Terra Venture Partners
Mike Noonan, managing director, NYSE Euronext
Henrik Olsen, founding partner, Environmental Technologies Fund
Iyad Omari, investment director, cleantech sector, Frog Capital
Ron Ondechek Jr, board member, Altira Group companies
Rodrigo Prudencio, partner, Nth Power
Whitney Rockley, partner, Nomura New Energy and Clean Technology Ventures
Samer Salty, founder, Zouk Ventures
Glen Schwaber, partner, Israel Cleantech Ventures
Sandeep Singhal, venture capital specialist, Nexus Capital
Michael Stuer Lauridsen, partner, BankInvest
Patrick Tam, general partner, Tsing Capital
Dharmesh Thakker, cleantech and IT adviser, Advanced Technology Ventures
Andrew Thomson, head of company research, Cleantech Group
Ravi Viswanathan, partner, New Enterprise Associates
Adam Workman, partner, CT Investment Partners
Richard Youngman, managing partner, Cleantech Group
Yong Zhang, cleantech practice partner, Qiming Venture Partners