It is no secret here in Canada that our clean technologies are world class. At the beginning of 2010, Sustainable Development Technology Canada—one of the largest clean technology portfolios anywhere on the planet—invested $58 million into 16 different projects, bringing their total up to $464 million, across a total of 183 projects.
Clean tech hubs and cluster partners like MARS and OCETA all focus on getting companies ready for the big show. But for far too many good companies, getting into international waters has still proven to be very difficult. Take the bankruptcy last year of VRB Power Systems. The company made long-term, large-scale storage batteries for the intermittent energy generated from renewable energy sources like wind and solar. This technology seemed critical, and since there were very few competitors in this space, one would think that it was going to be a great success story. The company in 2007 had sales of approximately $700,000 and by the following year approximately $500,000. Arguably a major part of the problem was access to capital and sophisticated customers that could help it to further define its product. The end result is potentially our loss as this company was put to rest and allowed to fade into obscurity.
The question then is not how Canadian clean technology companies create value (because clearly many of them are doing a fantastic job). The questions are, rather, how will they deliver value? And how will they capture that value? Read Full Article
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