US Ambassador to Sweden unveils clean tech top 50

US Ambassador to Sweden Michael M. Wood unveiled his new list of Swedish alternative energy companies at the New York Green Summit on Wednesday.

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Now into its fourth edition, the list was presented to summit participants and American venture capitalists.

The initial list of 30 ‘clean’ companies was revealed to American investors at a meeting in Stanford, California, in April 2007.

Three editions later, the new list of 52 companies has arrived, creating much excitement within the sustainable energy industry. Indeed, the unveiling was considered of such importance as to warrant the attendance of Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf.

“I’m excited that the list has grown so much, nearly doubling in eighteen months,” said Ambassador Wood in a statement.

“This shows that Sweden’s spirit of innovation is still strong. I think companies also recognize that being on the list is a good way to generate publicity and gain exposure to potential US partners.”

Eight new companies have been added to the list, and while there continues to be a broad sweep of alternative energy alternatives represented, a slight shift is notable toward technologies which improve the sustainability and efficiency of existing infrastructures, such as heat and ventilation monitoring systems.

One of the first companies to make it onto the Ambassador’s list was Swedish Biogas International, a firm which is already reaping the benefits. On Friday Swedish Biogas International, in collaboration with the State of Michigan and the City of Flint, will commence work on their radical enterprise to convert the city’s sewage waste to biogas.

The Michigan project is the first on American soil for Swedish Biogas International. “Our inclusion on Ambassador Wood’s company list definitely helped us to achieve this,” Managing Director Peter Undén told The Local.

“The reason why we were first identified as one of the companies suitable for the work by Michigan State was because we were on the list. We still needed to prove ourselves as the best option, but it was definitely a great door opener”, explained Undén.

Wood’s list was created not only to promote the use of alternative energy, but also to nurture trade relations between Sweden and the US and to present Swedish companies which may benefit from cooperation with American investors, businesses and innovators.

The list illustrates a major achievement of the initiative One Big Thing, a project created by the American Embassy to encourage collaboration between Sweden and the US in the alternative energy sector.

Also at the New York Green summit, Swedish Biofuels AB won the 2008 Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in New York Deloitte Green Award.

Swedish Biofuels AB, a Stockholm-based company which develops alternative motor fuels, is another company seeing the considerable advantages of US interest. The business won a bid with the US Department of Defence to develop jet fuels containing biocomponents.

The Swedish company received $5 million last year in research funding from the US Defence Agency, a collaboration facilitated by the US Embassy, which also assisted Swedish Biofuels in framing it grant request.