Clean technology refers to any product, service, or process that delivers value using limited or zero nonrenewable resources and/or creates significantly less waste than conventional offerings. Clean technology represents a broad range of products and markets including technologies in alternative energy, such as wind or tidal power; advanced recycling technologies; residential and commercial solar projects; smart-grid technologies for the utility grids; electric or hybrid-electric transportation; advanced materials, including biodegradable plastics; water technologies; and alternative fuels, including bio diesel and ethanol.
Clean energy projects continue to receive the most attention in the clean technology space, however the market appears to be expanding into a variety of applications and areas. Areas of focus of the Clean Technology sector include energy, water, agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing where the technology creates less waste or toxicity.
The impact of Clean Technology can be either to provide superior performance at lower costs or to limit the amount of resources needed while maintaining comparable productivity levels. As climate change and carbon taxes have entered into the human consciousness, so too have unique solutions arisen. This broad diversity of technology and seemingly limitless market potential
makes investing ‘green’ a huge opportunity for ‘green.’
The Clean tech can be categorizes into the following 11 segments:
1. Agriculture: Natural pesticides and herbicides, land management, technologies that support organic food and aquaculture.
2. Air & Environment: Cleanup/ safety, emission control, monitoring and compliance, trading & offsets.
3. Energy Efficiency: Lighting, building materials, glass, other
4. Energy Generation: Wind, solar, hydro/marine, biofuels, geothermal
5. Energy Infrastructure: Management, transmission
6. Energy Storage: Fuel cells, advanced batteries, hybrid systems
7. Manufacturing/Industrial: Advanced packaging, monitoring8. Materials: Nano, bio, chemical & other materials with cleantech applications
9. Recycling & Waste: Recycling, waste treatment
10. Transportation: Vehicles, logistics, structures, fuels
11. Water & Wastewater: Water treatment, water conservation, wastewater treatment
