“Cleantech”, often used interchangeably with the term “Greentech”, has emerged as an umbrella term encompassing the investment asset class, technology, and business sectors which include clean energy, environmental, and sustainable or green, products and services.  With our focus on legal services for the emerging companies and the innovation economy, it would have been hard to avoid Cleantech!

 

The term has historically been differentiated from various definitions of green business, sustainability, or triple bottom line industries by its origins in the venture capital investment community and has grown to define a business sector that includes significant and high growth industries such as solar, wind, water purification, and biofuels.  The focus on Cleantech has been necessitated partly because of the impact of climate change, but also because of its impact on energy security, and the environment. In developing countries, macro developments such as urbanization, rapid growth, climate change and depletion of natural resources continue to drive the need for investments in clean technologies.  

 

We advise industry entrepreneurs, venture capital and banks in relation to a range of legal services including investments and loans to the Cleantech sector, as it partners with industry, services sector, agriculture, and infrastructure sector to make viable clean technology interventions that will help in the transition to a sustainable growth path in the long term.   In the recent past, we have advised businesses that are using solar, biofuels, fuel cells, water remediation, and renewable power generation, most (but not all) backed by venture capital investors as a disruptive play on traditional energy companies.