Feb 23 2012
The 8th Annual Australasian Cleantech Forum opens in Melbourne today to encourage development and investment in cleantech innovation. The largest cleantech investment event in the southern hemisphere, the two day conference features presentations from over 30 different speakers from industry and the investment community.
A number of international institutional investors from North America and Asia join the program this year to discuss how to capitalise on clean technologies and capitalise on future trends. Investors including Catholic Super, Asian Development Bank and Black Coral Capital will discuss the growing appetite for cleantech assets and how they identify the most lucrative private and listed opportunities in Australia and emerging markets.
Opening the conference, John O’Brien, Managing Director of Australasian Cleantech said, “The recent passing of the Clean Energy legislation means that large companies will need to adopt cleantech solutions if they are to reduce their energy bills, carbon liabilities and improve the investment market’s perception of their risks. Sustained capital investment is crucial to the development of the cleantech sector to ensure it continues to provide low carbon solutions and secure Australia’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.”
In addition to an investment perspective, GE Energy and AGL will discuss the key drivers for large energy users to adopt clean technologies and how they have integrated them into their operations. There will also be dedicated segments showcasing early and development stage cleantech companies. Participants will have an opportunity to network and learn more about the newly established Australian CleanTech Network, part of the Global CleanTech cluster which represents 4,000 cleantech companies worldwide.