Official Blog – Cleantech, Investments, Bonds



REIS : Reliable data form the basis for making appropriate decisions.

This applies everywhere, but is especially the case in such dynamic areas as renewable energy use and energy efficiency. In order to provide corporate decision-makers with up-to-date information, as well as to enhance the visibility of renewable energy and energy efficiency both in the political arena and among the general public, Credit Suisse and the AEE (Agency for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency) are to jointly produce an economic indicator depicting key data concerning the current trends.

The REIS (Renewable Energy Index Switzerland) will record the economic development in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors in detail, and thus function as an early indicator. This means that companies, politicians, industry associations and the general public will be able to obtain up-to-date information about the development and dynamics of these sectors. The REIS, which will record changes in a variety of key data and publish them on a quarterly basis, is to be presented for the first time at Blue-Tech 2010 (the trade fair for energy-efficient solutions) in the autumn. Its survey of Swiss companies will be conducted online and will only take a few minutes. All replies will be anonymised and treated as strictly confidential. Identification takes place with the aid of a special code that is unknown to the compiler of the index (Credit Suisse Economic Research).

The REMS (Renewable Energy Monitor Switzerland) is produced annually. It contains valuable data and analyses concerning current political and economic topics relating to renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Cofinax - Renewable Energy

A Cleantech Fund is an Investment Fund that is comprised of stocks that represent companies whose clean technologies support energy conservation, environmentally sensitive cleaning, and protecting the environment. A Cleantech Fund thus backs “green businesses” that make up wind power, solar power, hydropower, information technology, green transportation, and energy efficient technologies. The objective of such companies is to channel renewable energy resources to reduce waste and pollution.

Remediation companies that clean up “brownfields” that have been tainted by contamination and make them into habitable “greenfields” can be part of the stocks included in a Cleantech Fund. Emerging technologies, like sensors or scrubbers to reduce pollutants, and semiconductor companies may also be part of these holdings. Stocks of companies that produce ethanol that pollutes less than other fuels are other Cleantech ventures. Likewise, companies that produce energy efficient light bulbs, wind turbines, or geothermal energy are considered appropriate for inclusion.

Part of the motivation behind investing in Cleantech is due to world responses to global warming, climate change, and CO2 emissions. Therefore, a Cleantech Fund is a financial vehicle used in environmental finance to promote clean or green technologies. The three major clean technologies included in this type of Fund include wind power, biofuels, and photovoltaics.

Generally, stocks in a Cleantech Fund can be categorized into several groups. One is renewable energy, such as wind, hydropower, biomass, and ocean thermal energy. Another group includes energy efficiency technologies, such as solar power, motor technologies, and geothermal energy. Environmental remediation, such as emissions and hazardous waste, make up another category, as does clean water technologies.

A number of clean technology conferences have been held to address the growth in emerging technologies, to overview clean business practices, and to gain insight into how to further clean technologies for a more sustainable future. These conference agendas have included subjects pertinent to investments that are part of Cleantech Fund portfolios. Conference topics have included renewable, solar and photovoltaic use, bio energy and bio fuels applications, and energy storage, including fuel cells. There have also been discussions on remediation practices, waste management, and water treatment systems, as well as green building, green computing, and green chemistry. All conference topics relate to the resources and developments related to the companies that influence stock holdings in Cleantech Funds.

The Cleantech Fund is a Fund that investors expect will continue to develop and grow in the environmental financial arena. As green businesses and technologies expand and grow, these investments may contribute to the realization of a more sustainable future.

Source: wisegeeks.com

Cleantech in Switzerland

Recognized as a leading international location for innovation in highly specialized products and know-ledge-based services, Switzerland is an excellent location for the development and marketing of Cleantech products and services in the global marketplace. Switzerland benefits from its image as a country long committed to environmental protection and which values its natural heritage. Significantly, care for the environment has become part of everyday life because the necessary processes and regulations have been recognized and implemented rigorously. The demanding norms to be met by products in the domestic market in Switzerland ensure that these have an excellent chance of securing entry into export markets and of passing any local scrutiny. However, Switzerland will never become a mere conveyor belt of mass-produced Cleantech applications. By contrast, Switzerland will retain the celebrated and characteristic diversity of its business base which embraces start-up and spin-off ventures as well as multinational corporations.

Currently, around 160,000 employees in Switzerland – that’s around 4.5% of the entire workforce – work in the Cleantech sector. Gross Value Added is estimated to be around CHF 18-20 billion (USD 17-19 billion) which equates to 3.5% of the Gross Domestic Product. 38% of Swiss Cleantech businesses export goods and services. This is considerably above the all-sectors average which indicates that just over 12% of all Swiss companies are involved in export markets. 62% of exports are destined for Europe, whilst 38% serve the wider global market. A survey conducted in October 2009 found that 78% of the 200 Cleantech businesses contacted have their own research department and 49% work with publically-funded research institutes. The greatest potential gains for Swiss Cleantech companies lie in the interconnection of different domains of knowledge across both technology and services, creating a knowledge center to generate growth and profitability.

Source: http://www.cleantech-switzerland.com

Switzerland consistently ranks as one of the world’s most energy-efficient economies, thanks largely to advances in renewable energy, green buildings, waste management and sustainable transportation. Switzerland was also recently ranked second on the 2010 Environmental Performance Index.

Switzerland’s sustainable/cleantech investment market at the end of 2009 was approximately $30 billion. Switzerland also was recently nominated for recognition as Europe’s most innovative country in 2009.

Given this strong history, capital base and innovate spirit, I wanted to take a closer look at the driving forces behind the burgeoning Swiss cleantech movement. Below are the top 10 reasons, as I see it, as to why Switzerland has become a powerhouse in this expanding economic sector.

1. The Swiss are true pioneers in sustainable and cleantech investing. Bank Sarasin led the way in 1989 with the first asset management mandates defined by ecological criteria. Zurich powerhouse Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) created specialized fund more than 10 years ago and has also been at the forefront of sustainable investing.
2. Switzerland has set itself apart as the financial global hub of cleantech investing. Swiss companies play key leadership roles in multiple sustainable/cleantech financial sectors. Whether investing in public companies with climate mitigation strategies or a private venture with an innovative solar technology, the Swiss have a wide range of investment firms that are international leaders in cleantech. Additionally, Switzerland is now home to a huge pool of cleantech money from financial powerhouses such as Mountain Cleantech, SAM, Good Energies, Emerald Ventures, UBS, Picet, Sarasin, Credit Suisse, ZKB andUnigestion.
3. The Swiss have a long history of living within their environmental and economic means. I think Nick Beglinger from Swisscleantech said it best: “The Swiss have a culture and lifestyle that emphasizes sustainability in their daily lives.” The Swiss have one of the highest recycling rates in the world—they recycle up to 95 percent of glass and they use 50 percent of the energy per capita compared to the U.S. Recycling, energy efficiency and stewardship are integrated into daily life in Switzerland. Even Mobility Carsharing has its roots in Switzerland.
4. The Swiss President Doris Leuthard made cleantech one of the top priorities of the country’s economic recovery. Almost one billion Swiss francs of the Swiss government stimulus package are targeted towards energy efficiency, renewable energy and the environment. As a result of such heavy investment and friendly government regulation, Leuthard expects the clean technology sector to continue to grow, reaching a volume of 3 trillion Swiss francs worldwide by 2020, double its current size. “This is growth that no government can ignore,” she said. Leading the charge towards such productivity are Swiss organizations such as Swiss Cleantech, Think Swiss, Switzerland Trade and Investment Promotion and theEmbassy of Switzerland. This growth spurt is being trumpeted abroad, and was recently highlighted by Swiss-U.S. Cleantech dialogue events in Atlanta, Washington D.C. and New York. Another such event is planned to take place in Zurich.
5. Today, with a workforce of 160,000 in cleantech—which accounts for 4.5 percent of all employment in the country—Switzerland is a world leader in terms of its innovation potential and research landscape. Switzerland has scored notable successes in the global cleantech arena through multinational manufacturing giants such as ABB and Oerlikon Solar. Other standout companies include Geberit, Schulthess Group, Ernst Schweizer Metallbau, Walter Meier, Hoval, Landis&Gyr, TRITEC and Renggli.
6. The Swiss Minenergie is one of the world’s most advanced green building rating systems. The Minenergie standard is a quality label for new and refurbished homes for low energy consumption buildings. So far, 15,000 Minergie certifications have been distributed compared to 2,000 LEED certifications in the U.S. The Swiss embassy in Washington, D.C., is currently being renovated as a sustainability an Minergie reference project. The goal is to showcase the key Swiss firms that are supplying the key components for the renovation. Other large corporate buildings that are being designed, constructed or renovated to attain Minenergie certification include Coop and Migros, IKEA, Swiss Re and Zurich Cantonal Bank.
7. The 2000-watt society is a vision—originated by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich at the end of 1998—that seeks to cut energy use in the developed world. Specifically, the goal is that each person in the developed world would cut their overall rate of energy use to an average of no more than 2,000 watts by the year 2050—and this is to be done without lowering their standard of living. While the goal has been met with some skepticism as to its viability, the concept is well supported nationally. Recently, 70 percent of the population in Zurich voted in support of putting the 2000-watt concept into practice.
8. Swiss get their own neighborhood in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, called the Swiss Village. Nick Beglinger, SVA President said Eco-City is another example of the close ties between the two countries. It also speaks to a shared sustainability vision. “The relationship between Switzerland and Abu Dhabi is excellent,” Beglnger said. “Swiss Village is an important element of that relationship. We now have a concrete link into the Masdar project, and a platform representing Swiss companies of all types and sizes. SVA offers the possibility to generate exports and to secure one of the most attractive company locations in the Gulf. Swiss firms can act as a community, strengthening each other in terms of know-how and joint offerings.”
9. Switzerland runs on hydroelectric power! Hydroelectric power accounts for about 58 percent of Switzerland’s electricity production. Another 10 percent of electric power production comes from recycling programs. As a country, Switzerland does not use fossil fuel for electricity production anymore.
10. Swiss Innovations. Switzerland is a small country inhabited by only 7.4 million people. The economy is based on the production of individual goods and services of high quality, such as precision instruments, which is an excellent backdrop for a growing Cleantech economy. “One Third of our portfolio companies are located here in Switzerland”, adds Jürgen F. Habichler, Founder and Managing Partner of Zurich based Growth Capital Fund Mountain Cleantech AG, “the Swiss combine entrepreneurial skills with technical expertise”. Other exciting Swiss Cleantech companies include Myclimate, Geroco, Nolaris, Flisom, TEXX, Flexcell, Airlight Energy, EdiSunPower, and Smixin.

Shawn Lesser is the president and founder of Atlanta-based Sustainable World Capital(SWC), which is focused on fund-raising for private equity cleantech/sustainable funds, as well as private cleantech companies and M&A.

SOURCE: http://cleantech.com