Cleantech, meet connectivity: a new era of energy efficiency

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Introduction
  3. Car sharing
  4. Connecting the home
  5. The smart grid
  6. The ideas that survive
  7. About Adam Lesser

1. Summary

When people think of cleantech, they typically think about solar panels or wind turbines or labs trying to convert biomass to oil. But the momentum right now in cleantech is as much about connectivity and how it can drive energy efficiency as it is about advancing sources of renewable energy. And as the web and mobile connectivity change our consumer experiences, ranging from renting cars to consuming electricity to shopping online, the opportunities to redefine cleantech are rich, and they are already happening.

This research note examines the cleantech space in that context and analyzes the car-sharing, home-energy-management and smart-grid sectors and their relevant companies to see how connectivity will play into their future endeavors.

Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Best Buy, Chevrolet, General Motors, Getaround, Google, Microsoft, Motorola, Nest, Opower, RelayRides, Siemens, Silver Spring Networks, Solyndra and Verizon.