What are the differences between a conventional and a clean-tech business?
For better understanding, clean tech companies are those organizations that design, develop or manufacture clean technologies or providing supporting services. Clean energy is a sector within the larger field of clean technology industry.
Conventional business / Cleantech business
- 1. will be mostly of product improvements / clean tech business may also be of product improvements, but chances of new products and product innovation may be much higher
- 2. there are many players / small number of players only and also more chances of success, but a greater first mover advantage and disadvantage
- 3. not much of government issues / local governments support endorse the causing technology
- 4. not much of technological changes / constantly evolving
- 5. more existing market information is available / existing market information might be less, so invest more in research and development
- 6. easy to estimate market size by taking comparisons from existing players / difficult to estimate the market size
- 7. social-cultural considerations don’t play a major role / may be difficult to introduce clean technology products and services in a region where culture, language and historical tradition make access difficult
- 8. set government and regulatory concerns / unique and evolving government and regulatory concerns
- 9. government incentives are not available / government support and incentives may be available
- 10. end consumer characteristics can be ascertained / end consumer characteristics cannot be ascertained easily
- 11. probability of entrants may be only those already in the field / the probability of entrants may be for those already in field, but chances of outsiders are not less
Additionally clean tech businesses face higher chances of legal issues and barriers and the importance of patents and IPR protection is not to be underestimated.
These are the worlds top 100 clean technology companies
