The 15th annual CleanTech Expo in July will highlight Israel's solutions for the energy and water needs of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Among Bloomberg New Energy Finance's top 10 cleantech pioneers announced in April were two Israeli firms - the solar energy company BrightSource and the water monitoring company TaKaDu.
Water and sun: That's pretty much what is setting the stage for this summer's CleanTech 2011 conference. And what a place to do it - the sunny beach city of Tel Aviv. Those who follow industry trends know that the prominence of Israeli companies is so obvious that industry leaders like the Cleantech Forum have created special newsletter sections just to cover Israel.
Before "cleantech" had become the sexy industry brand that it is today, the Mashov publishing house in Israel was creating an agricultural magazine, and for the last 14 years had been presenting cleantech solutions in Tel Aviv to an annual audience. The company, which also runs and organizes Israel's annual agro fair, decided three years ago to step up business development opportunities and start promoting its annual event beyond local buyers.
This year, Mashov expects more than 25,000 visitors at the 15th annual CleanTech expo at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds, July 5-6. The two-day event will focus on renewable energy, water, green building, recycling and infrastructure - everything that can fit under the roof of the cleantech definition. There will be a distinct focus on "Big Four," or BRIC, countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Meeting the global village
In economic terms, BRIC countries are considered to be at the same stage of new and advancing economic development. Hoping to bypass the mistakes of the West, these countries are eager to learn how to do business in the cleantech sector and implement new technologies. "This year we decided to make BRIC countries the honored ones in terms of events and symposiums," says Shafrir Godel, the international affairs manager for the event. Other targeted opportunities such as R&D programs, business development and investment are to be addressed by ambassadors from these countries.
Israel, he stresses, will always be the priority at CleanTech exhibitions. But since the world is a global village, it pays to showcase foreign as well as Israeli companies, including about 10 startups.
A special water symposium with a guest host from the United States is expected to be a popular part of the expo, Godel believes, especially given the diversity and quantity of established and new Israeli companies in this sector.
The sun is one to watch
"Last year, our event was conquered by the solar industry, and it's one of the biggest sectors today," says Godel, who works as a consultant on behalf of Mashov.
In water technology, visitors can expect to see exhibitors providing industrial and municipal solutions such as purification technologies related to wastewater treatment and recycling. And there will be plenty of valves, pumps and meters, as these are still the foundation of the water business of today.
In renewable energy, opportunities in wind, solar, geothermal and hydro-electricity will be explored, as well as highlights and opportunities for Israeli feed-in tariffs in commercial and residential buildings crowned by solar photovoltaic apparatus.
And of course, many world investors are keen to know what Israel plans on doing with the natural gas resources that could change the face of energy consumption and delivery in Israel. Cleaner fuel and new technologies for transporting gas and oil will be explored, with the aim of leading to greener businesses and societies.
