Why green tech is more influential than ever

News analysis: Agenda Setters goes green

Published: 8 October 2008 14:57 BST by Tim Ferguson

Tags: green, agenda setters, tech, environment

Show related articles

The latest Agenda Setters list includes more people working on a greener tech future than ever before: it's a significant sign the industry is finally taking the subject of the environment seriously.

With the top 50 including green technology players, environmental activists and major eco-figures from the biggest vendors, it seems there's a real sea-change under way.

So why exactly has green become such a strong theme in this year's Agenda Setters?

It seems a big factor has been a notable increase in awareness of the immediacy of the environmental problem and also the scale of response needed.

One individual who has been one of the most important figures in raising awareness around environmental issues is Jonathon Porritt, ranked number 17 in the Agenda Setters list.

As former director of Friends of the Earth and now programme director for his sustainable development charity, Forum of the Future, Porritt has been one of the leading environmental campaigners for years.

Meanwhile, big tech vendors are finally getting the message Porritt and others have been spreading.

IBM's chief engineer Don Grice who made number 15 on the list, for example, was chosen for the hybrid blade-based architecture he has developed for the Roadrunner supercomputer.

Roadrunner - which is being used by the US Department of Energy - is not only one of the most powerful but also one of the most energy-efficient supercomputers in the world.

Meanwhile Intel CTO, 19th on the list Justin Rattner, was selected largely for the low-power Atom chips his company has been responsible for developing.

Asus CEO, Jonney Shih and 31st placed Agenda Setter, made the cut partly for the fact that the mini PC technology his company has pioneered, the Eee PC, is also pushing the low power agenda.

Looking forwards, Ovum analyst Simon Perry told silicon.com that 2009 could be a "watershed year" for green tech with the environmental benefits of products being touted more heavily than cost and energy savings.

Perry added that only now is cutting-edge green technology coming onto the market, with smaller vendors leading the way.

According to Gartner analyst Simon Mingay, venture capitalist investment in green tech has increased significantly this year with businesses and investors beginning to recognise the role technology could play in the emerging low carbon economy.

"The investment community has absolutely started to understand what a low carbon economy means and who are going to be the winners," he said.

The readiness of investors to support green tech is reflected by the number of people on the 2008 Agenda Setters list that are heading up green businesses or working on ambitious green projects.

"It is from the ranks of today's sustainability industry start-ups that tomorrow's medium-to-large vendors will emerge," Perry added.

Simon Ponsford, 29th place, for example, made it into the list due to his work as founder of low power thin client firm, Cranberry. Cranberry claims its products can save 95 per cent in carbon emissions compared to a standard desktop PC, while Ponsford also regularly speaks out about computing and environmental issues.

Meanwhile ex-SAP man, Shai Agassi (44), was chosen for his work with his electric car company, Better Place, which has ex-SAP execs and venture capitalists getting very excited.

As part of his vision, Agassi wants to create an infrastructure of charging stations to make the whole idea of owning and running an electric car a more practical proposition.

Mingay said of Agassi's work that transportation is one of the obvious areas in which IT will have a significant role to play in reducing environmental impact.

Hotmail founder, Sabeer Bhatia's hugely ambitious green city project was also recognised by the Agenda Setters panel who voted him at number 36 on the list.

Nanocity - which will be located north of Delhi, India - will rely on renewable energy for half its power demands, will be able to convert waste water into drinking water and recycle at least 70 per cent of its waste.

It's another project that shows that green concerns are starting to make things happen on a huge scale.

Sticking with India, director general of the country's Bureau for Energy Efficiency, Ajay Mathur, has made it onto the list at number 39.

Mathur is tackling the impending Indian energy crisis partly by promoting the development of renewable and alternative energy.

It seems the past 12 months has seen an important shift in the way the tech industry is approaching environmental issues with increasing awareness but also a greater preparedness to support bold green initiatives.

Tech vendors are making inroads in cutting carbon emissions while a host of ambitious green projects and businesses are attracting the investment and attention they deserve.

And although none of the people discussed made it to heights of the Agenda Setters top 10 this year, next year could well be a different story.