ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Opower, the global leader in customer engagement solutions for the utility industry, today announced it was named the 2012 Global Cleantech 100 Company of the Year. The list, produced by Cleantech Group, a leading global research and advisory firm focused on innovation in energy and the environment, highlights the promise of private clean technology companies from all around the world, focusing on those companies which the players in the market feel are currently the most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years.
"We're thrilled to be named the 2012 Global Cleantech 100 Company of the Year," said Opower President and Founder Alex Laskey. "In our first five years, we expanded to more than 75 utility partners in six countries and saved utility customers more than $170 million on their utility bills. I'm excited to continue to work with our utility partners over the next five years to drive significant customer engagement and large-scale energy efficiency."
The list is derived from Cleantech Group's own data and research combined with the weighted qualitative judgments of hundreds of nominations and the viewpoints of a global panel of 75 cleantech experts. To qualify for the list, companies must be independent, for-profit, cleantech companies that are not listed on any major stock exchange.
"The Global Cleantech 100 is a natural extension of our companywide mission to help corporations, investors and financiers, professional service firms and governmental agencies connect with global cleantech innovation," said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO. "This report celebrates the best in innovation and is the industry standard on gauging where cleantech innovation is headed next."
This year 8,285 companies were nominated from 85 countries. These companies were weighted and scored to create a short list of 236 companies presented to the expert panel for final input. The end result was 100 companies from 13 countries.
The complete list of 100 companies was revealed today at the Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala in Washington, D.C. http://events.cleantech.com/global100/">http://events.cleantech.com/global100/.
For complete information on Opower's leadership within the cleantech space, access Cleantech Group's leading market intelligence platform, i3, and search for Opower at http://research.cleantech.com/company/">http://research.cleantech.com/company/.
About Opower
Working with 75 utility partners and serving more than 14 million consumers across six countries in North America, Europe and Asia, Opower is the world's leading provider of customer engagement solutions for the utility industry. By providing the tools, information and incentives consumers need to make smarter decisions about their energy use, Opower's engagement platform and solution suite enables utilities to involve their customers in programs that support, energy efficiency goals, smart grid and new rate structures, brand loyalty and lowering the cost of service. Proven to drive behavioral change at scale, Opower has helped its utility partners achieve more than 1.5 TWHs of their energy efficiency goals, and drive significant increases in customer program participation and overall customer satisfaction. Founded in 2007 and privately held, Opower is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices in San Francisco and London. For more information, please visit www.opower.com">www.opower.com and follow us on Twitter at @Opower
About Cleantech Group
Cleantech Group's market intelligence, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation. A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem. Cleantech Group also produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ events worldwide.
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