10 Best in Class winners to be announced at Savannah International Clean Energy Conference November 11-13, 2012

ATLANTA, GA–June 21, 2012– In its second year, the Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA) Later Stage Awards have received a record 200 nominations for its 10 Best in Class categories.  The 200 innovative mid to later stage companies have been nominated in a variety of cleantech areas including solar and lighting/energy efficiency, waste, water and more.  Each nomination came from the GCCA’s 40 member cleantech clusters as companies making great strides in their sectors and geographic regions.  The Top 10 Best in Class winners will be announced at the Savannah International Clean Energy Conference, November 11-13, 2012.

“We are delighted with the increase in nominations this year,” said Ben Taube, Chair of the GCCA. “We’ve added 11 cleantech clusters to our membership since the 2011 nominations and we are continually impressed by the flood of new innovations and ground-breaking technologies these clusters have to share.”

Three categories are also new this year, BioEnergy, Smart Grid/Sustainable IT and Tidal/Hydropower.  Over the next 5 months the nominations will be evaluated based on merits of technology innovation and business acumen.  By the third quarter of 2012, the list of 200 will be narrowed down to a Top 30 and later to one Best in Class winner in each of the ten categories.

“The annual Later Stage Awards have become the international showcase of cleantech’s rising stars,” said Shawn Lesser of Watershed Capital Group and Co-Founder of the GCCA.  “All the nominees are developing innovative clean technologies and growing their local green economies and we are thrilled to support them through our award.”

The 200 companies will be evaluated by over 30 venture Capital and cleantech judges hand-selected for the Later Stage Award.  Combined, the GCCA judging roster has invested over $3.5 billion in clean technology.  The judges include Generation’s Climate Solutions Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, Dow Venture Capital, BASF Venture Capital and more.
The GCCA Later Stage Awards ceremony will be held on the second evening of the Savannah International Clean Energy Conference on November 12, 2012.

The event is drawing countries and top cleantech leaders and influencers to explore and debate hard-hitting topics within the clean energy sector including the future of oil, global security and sustainable cities. Notable keynote speakers include Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company, Nicholas Parker, Chairman of the Cleantech Group and Dennis V. McGinn, Retired Vice Admiral and President, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE).  Early-bird registration is currently under way at www.savannahcleanenergy.com

The full list of 2012 Later Stage Award Nominations can be found at: http://www.globalcleantech.org/2012-award-nominees/

About the Global Cleantech Cluster Association
The Global Cleantech Cluster Association (GCCA) creates conduits for companies to harness the tremendous benefits of international cleantech cluster collaboration in an efficient, affordable, and structured network.  The GCCA provides a gateway for established and emerging cleantech companies to gain exposure to potential investors, new markets, influential networks, innovative technologies and best practices.  GCCA was founded by swisscleantech, the Finnish Cleantech Cluster, and Watershed Capital, Technica Communications and Skipso.  For more information about the GCCA, please visit www.globalcleantech.org.

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Lisa Ann Pinkerton
Technica Communications
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lisaann@technicacommunications.com