New Venture: A New Model for Clean Energy Innovation

The clean energy sector has been plagued by challenges and setbacks.Yet, some success stories are just beginning to emerge. Using two case studies and a number of other examples, the author identifies four core elements that have underpinned many of the most successful emerging clean energy enterprises: (1) close partnerships with large industrial companies; (2) the ability to integrate (actually or synthetically) across the value chain; (3) global focus; and (4) a drive toward cost-competitive economics without subsidies.The fact that most of these elements were also critical to the success of the wave of innovation spurred by the biotechnology revolution during the past three decades is cause for optimism about the potential for clean energy to develop similarly successful innovation models.