Clean Technology

From renewable energy to alternative transportation to advanced materials, the collection of goods and services known as Cleantech has become one of the fastest growing segments of the new economy. Driving this growth is a highly favorable confluence of entrepreneurial talent, venture capital, and media attention. At the center of this advantageous mix sits San Francisco – the world-class city that anchors our nation’s most dynamic clean technology corridor.

San Francisco boasts a deeply engrained culture of innovation, a rich network of venture funders and clean tech companies, prominent centers of academic excellence, and a number of forward looking government policies that is driving the demand for clean technology solutions.

A Cleantech Cluster. There are numerous examples that demonstrate the advantage of locating in proximity to similar businesses - opportunities for collaboration, the sharing of infrastructure, and aggregating resources to name a few. To this end, San Francisco’s eastern waterfront, adjacent to the internationally renowned Mission Bay biotech cluster, is the proposed home of a two million square foot Clean Technology Campus. This plan also includes a dedicated “incubator” devoted to nurturing early stage clean tech ventures.

A City Committed to Going Green. San Francisco is a global leader in the municipal greening movement. The City is home to the one of largest alternative-fuel municipal vehicle fleets in the nation, and boasts the highest recycling rates for a major U.S. city, diverting nearly 70% of trash from landfills. San Francisco has more than two megawatts of municipal solar generation currently installed or under construction and is a leader in pro-environmental legislation, with a citywide ban on non-biodegradable grocery bags, Styrofoam, bottled water in City facilities and selected pesticides. In addition, the City provides a payroll tax exemption to clean tech companies. Bottom line – San Francisco is home to an ambitious range of policies and incentives that will help drive businesses forward, not hold them back.

Don’t Take Our Word For It. Take theirs. Over 225 clean technology enterprises are currently headquartered in San Francisco, including Suntech Power, one of the world's leading manufacturers of solar photovoltaic cells and modules, who after an extensive national search, chose to locate its North American headquarters in San Francisco. Every day, more and more cleantech businesses are making that same choice because of the competitive advantages that only a place like San Francisco can offer.

Venture Capital Visionaries. Clean technology has become the 6th largest venture investment category in the U.S. and Canada, and San Francisco is at the heart of the deepest, greenest pockets in the country. In fact, companies locating in San Francisco will be able to tap into the highest national investment in clean technology—with deployed capital totaling more than $5.18 billion in 2007. 

Read an update on the recently formed San Francisco Carbon Collaborative (SFCC).

For information and assistance, contact: Natosha Safo, natosha.safo@sfgov.org, 415-554-6425.