Israel, a global cleantech powerhouse, is now attracting hundreds of millions of dollars in cleantech investment every year.
The country gets more from its soil, water, air, and sunlight than most other nations on earth.
Why has such a small country been able to position itself a world leader in cleantech?
The answer, I believe, is a combination of many factors: its history, attitude of the people, ingenuity, and challenges to survival.
According to my research, the following are major highlights of Israel’s cleantech leadership to date in 2010:
1. Israel is the Silicon Valley of water. Relative to
its small size, Israel has devoted more resources to the development of
waste water treatment and reclamation than any other country in the
world. Seventy percent of its waste water is recycled, three times the
figure of number two: Spain. Israel is the birthplace and world leader
in drip irrigation, which has literally turned deserts into farmlands.
The Israeli firm Netafim, a $500
million high-tech drip-irrigation giant, is a world leader in smart
irrigation technology and has been credited with starting the drip
irrigation revolution. Israel Newtech, which promotes Israeli clean
energy and water technologies, has identified hundreds of water
companies. It's estimated that Israel's water industry was valued at
$1.4 billion in 2008 and could reach $2.5 billion by 2011. The sector is
supported by early stage private and government investment programs,
such as the Kinrot incubator, 11 investments to date) and the Office of
the Chief Scientist (several million dollars in early stage R&D
grants), as well as large industrial players such as IDE
Technologies, a global leader in water desalination and Mekorot, the
country’s innovative technology-oriented water carrier.
To read the full, original article click on this link: 10 reasons Israel is a cleantech leader | Cleantech Group
Author: Shawn Lesser
