Energetica India - June 2020

RENEWABLE ENERGY energetica INDIA- June_2020 55 increase the sustainability of their busi- nesses. Create a supportive network for cleantech innovators Innovation needs to go hand in hand with entrepreneurship and for innovators to pursue their business ideas in cleantech, having a supportive network of advisors, industry leaders, policy makers, technol- ogy experts is crucial. Transforming an idea into a commercially viable business is not an easy task and entrepreneurs need all the support they can get. The startup ecosystem can foster greater knowledge sharing, partnerships and support for innovators who want to ex- plore opportunities in this sector. Encourage big vision and ambition Over the past decade, more than 200 cleantech start-ups have been found- ed in Switzerland which are still active today. The industry in 2017 accounted for almost 5% of Swiss GDP and the number of jobs had increased by 25% over the last five years. The important lesson for other regions is that this has been achieved because Switzerland has shown huge ambition and commitment to supporting cleantech on a large scale. There is also a Swiss Cleantech Master- plan which is being implemented, that was set up by the government in 2010. It includes a broader vision and a num- ber of objectives designed to strengthen the innovation capacities of cleantech companies and research institutions in Switzerland. If our goal is to see new sustainable tech- nologies succeed in reducing carbon emissions, overcome climate change, water scarcity, air pollution we must create products that consumers and businesses want and can adopt in large numbers. Merely solving a technology challenge means little if investors do not back the creative startups that will take every advance and run with it till the end. We need to create an ecosystem that will incentivize and nurture clean technology innovation and diffusion, and also en- courage development and widespread adoption.