Cleantech Capital Group to publish new Cleantech Index

The Premier Index of the Cleantech Industry

• ANN ARBOR, January 30, 2006 — The Cleantech Capital Group LLC
• announced today it has entered into an Agreement with the American Stock
• Exchange to begin publishing the Cleantech Index: a new index comprised of
• publicly traded companies engaged in the cleantech industry.
•  
• The Cleantech Index is comprised of 75 companies with a combined market
• capitalization in excess of $100 billion. Companies in the Cleantech Index have
• at least fifty percent of their sales obtained from cleantech products and services.
• Calculations from back-testing of the Cleantech Index suggest the past five and
• three years significantly outperformed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices.
•  
• “Cleantech” is defined as any knowledge-based product or service that improves
• operational performance, productivity or efficiency; while reducing costs, inputs,
• energy consumption, waste or pollution. The cleantech concept is not specific to
• a particular sector: it encompasses energy generation, energy storage, energy
• infrastructure, energy efficiency, transportation & logistics, water purification &
• management, air quality, materials & nanotechnology, manufacturing/industrial,
• agriculture & nutrition, enabling technologies, materials recovery & recycling and
• environmental IT. Cleantech markets represent annual global revenues greater
• than $150 billion, and segments such as wind and solar power boast 5-10 year
• compound annual revenue growth rates as high as 35%.
•  
• “The Cleantech Index will provide investors with a vehicle to diversify into the
• emerging “cleantech” investment category while helping bring greater liquidity to
• publicly traded cleantech companies and, by doing so, encouraging capital
• formation for privately-held cleantech enterprises with strong IPO potential” says
• Nicholas Parker, Chairman of the Cleantech Capital Group. Parker adds: “The
• Cleantech Index is the premier investment vehicle developed for capturing the
• opportunities associated with the substantial increase in the economic value of
• clean technologies. We believe this value will inevitably be unlocked as global
• markets adjust to the linkages between human health, economic development
• and resource sustainability.”
•  
• Elias Azrak, co-founder of Cleantech Capital Indices LLC, said, “There has
• recently been an historic increase in the public awareness of global
• environmental issues. Given the investment needed to address these concerns,
• we believe the Cleantech Index represents the right product at the right time. We
• are delighted to partner with Amex in launching this product.”
•  
• Discussions are underway relative to the licensing of the Cleantech Index for
• financial products, including an exchange traded fund which will track the index.
• The index will be rebalanced each March, June, September and December.
• An advisory board comprised of leading academics and thought leaders will be
• announced shortly.
• About the Cleantech Capital Group, LLC
• The Cleantech Capital Group LLC (“CCG”) brought the “cleantech” concept to
• market in 2002 and organizes the Cleantech Venture Network, a global
• membership group of investors, entrepreneurs and service providers interested
• in clean technology. CCG’s activities include advisory, research and online
• services and the Cleantech Venture Forum series of events. CCG has an
• organizational presence in Australia, China, Canada, Europe and the US.
•  
• The Cleantech Venture Network serves more than 900 affiliate investor member
• firms worldwide. The Network has tracked more than $7.3 billion invested in
• cleantech ventures since 1999 and over seven hundred cleantech IPO and M&A
• transactions. Further information can be found at www.cleantech.com or by
• calling (+1) 517-223-9607.
• About Cleantech Capital Indices LLC
• Cleantech Capital Indices LLC is a joint venture with Hydrogen Ventures LLC, a
• management advisory firm founded in 2001 that is lead by senior managing
• partner Elias Azrak. Hydrogen Ventures provides technical and financial services
• tailored to environmentally responsible companies. Hydrogen Ventures is also
• the creator of the Palisades Water Index. Mr. Elias Azrak is also the co-founder
• of the WilderHill Clean Energy Index and the Palomar Healthcare Technologies
• Index.