WSJ Top 10 Clean-Tech Companies

clean_tech_companies-9055041Companies that make everything from solar panels to renewable-crude oil continue to be big draws for funding from the venture-capital community.But a company that rewards consumers for recycling led The Wall Street Journal’s second-annual ranking of venture-backed clean-tech companies.

The Top 10 Clean-Tech ranking, announced Wednesday at the Journal’s ECO:nomics Executive Conference in Santa Barbara, Calif., seeks to identify green companies with the greatest potential to succeed in an increasingly competitive sector.

A team from venture-industry tracker VentureSource calculated the rankings based on a strict set of criteria applied to 516 U.S.-based venture-backed businesses in clean technology. On March 10, the Journal plans to publish its 2011 Next Big Thing ranking of the top 50 US venture-backed companies across all industries, drawn from more than 5,700 firms. (VentureSource is owned by News Corp., which also owns Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Wall Street Journal.)Candidates were analyzed on the amount of capital raised in the past three years; the track records of each company’s founders, managers and investors; and the percentage change in its valuation in the 12 months ended Nov. 30.Recyclebank, which provides recycling-rewards programs in 29 states and the U.K., has had a growth spurt since its 2004 launch. In October, the New York-based company brought on Jonathan Hsu, former head of onliine ad firm 24/7 Real Media, as its chief executive.Here is the WSJ Top 10 Clean-Tech Companies

1. RecycleBank – Rewards program for lower impact on the environment

2. Suniva Inc. – Solar cells and solar modules
3. eSolar Inc. – Solar power solutions for utilities
4. MiaSole – Thin-film solar
5. OPOWER Inc. – Energy efficiency and smart grid software
6. GreatPoint Energy Inc. – Produces clean, low cost natural gas from coal, petroleum coke, and biomass.
7. SeaMicro Inc. – Energy efficient servers
8. Boston Power Inc. – Next-generation lithium-ion battery technology
9. Luxim Corp. – Develops a lighting solution “Light Emitting Plasma”
10. Sapphire Energy Inc. – Algae based renewable fuel, “Green Crude”

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