Cleantech Group Opens London Office as Part of Global Expansion



    The Cleantech Group(TM) today announced the establishment of its
    European headquarters in London with the appointment of Torsten Merkel
    to European director. In his new role, Mr. Merkel will accelerate the
    growth of the cleantech community throughout Europe. The opening of
    the London office comes less than two months after the opening of
    Cleantech China(TM) in Beijing.

    "This is a clear signal of our commitment to expand our coverage
    across all asset classes in Europe, while increasing capital flows and
    accelerating the adoption of cleantech globally," said Nicholas
    Parker, chairman and co-founder of the Cleantech Group(TM). "We have
    been expanding our reach in Europe over the past three years through
    our European Cleantech Forums(TM), the Cleantech Group's European
    Advisory board and our membership services, so Torsten will be in a
    strong position to meet the growing needs of the European investor,
    corporate and entrepreneurial communities in the coming years."

    Mr. Merkel brings extensive experience to his new position with
    the Cleantech Group. Most recently he was conference manager for
    Euromoney Energy Events, where he managed a global portfolio of
    renewable energy finance events including business development,
    research, marketing and program development. He is fluent in German,
    English and Russian and has a working knowledge of French and Hindi.
    "The Cleantech Group(TM) is the premier organization connecting
    cleantech innovation and capital in Europe and I am delighted to join
    at a time when this sector is experiencing significant growth and
    attracting mainstream investors," said Mr. Merkel.

    Mr. Merkel will be available at Cleantech Forum(TM) XIII, the
    largest gathering of top-tier cleantech investors, innovators and
    thought leaders in Europe. The Cleantech Forum(TM) XIII is being held
    in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 14-16, www.cleantech.com/frankfurt.

    Cleantech Group(TM), LLC

    The Cleantech Group(TM) LLC provides insight, opportunities and
    builds relationships that catalyze and accelerate the growth of
    cleantech markets globally. The Cleantech Group(TM) family of
    companies are the founders of the cleantech investment category and
    bring investors, executives, thought leaders, policy makers, and
    entrepreneurs together to facilitate the growth of cleantech globally
    through six business units; the Cleantech Venture Network(R),
    Cleantech Advisors(TM), Cleantech Indices(TM), Cleantech Search(TM),
    Cleantech China(TM), and Cleantech Innovation Institute(TM). Since
    introducing cleantech as a viable investment thesis in 2002, the
    efforts of the Cleantech Group(TM) companies have spawned a new
    investment class with an annual growth rate exceeding 50%, with more
    than $3.5 billion in venture capital invested in North America and
    Europe in 2006.