During the second half of 2009 Sweden held the EU Presidency, and the cleantech businesses of the country asked themselves: “How can we increase Swedish exports of Green Business?” Their solution was to collect companies in one building in downtown Stockholm, close to government offices and city hall, to allow Ministers, MPs, businesses and other interested people to have a look at what Sweden has to offer in cleantech.
The Sweden Green Tech Building is home to nearly 30 different businesses which showcase their technology on the premises, and it has rooms for events and conferences as well as office space to foster cooperation and knowledge sharing between the different players. The Green Tech Building focuses on five main areas:
- From waste to energy
- Renewable energy sources
- Energy distribution
- The effective use of energy
- Water and air
Key areas of a green future thus, with a heavy emphasis on energy. The idea is unique and is like a permanent fair for cleantech companies: It encourages networking, knowledge sharing and cooperation across different segments, and with being close to the political institutions it also can influence decision makers in a positive way. It also offers to see cleantech in action, as the building itself was remodeled to showcase sustainable building and energy methods, for example there is an Absolicon X10 is installed on top of the building providing it with hot water and electricity.
The idea to gather different cleantech players in one location is excellent, and I hope that other Nordic countries follow suit and
implement their own cleantech buildings. Having a constant location for cleantech companies to demonstrate their technology, and being in close proximity to other players should mean that they can combine their knowledge and keep on innovating. For foreign clients it means one stop instead of traveling the country, optimizing their time and experience. To sum it up: A win-win-win for companies, clients, and Sweden. And the environment wins as well. More of it, please.
