Published in the 20th anniversary edition of the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 ranking of the UK’s fastest-growing private tech companies, the inaugural 10 Green Tech to Watch list recognises private UK-based firms that are developing technology to help mitigate or reverse the effects of human activity on the environment, based on research sponsored by BGF - the UK’s most active investor in growing businesses. 

This year’s 10 Green Tech to Watch list includes Highview Power, which stores spare energy by cooling and liquefying air to -196˚C, releasing it to drive turbines and generate clean electricity; and OXIS Energy, which is developing lithium-sulphur batteries that pack up to five times more energy than lithium-ion batteries, and is building a factory in Brazil scheduled to open in 2023.

Other companies are working on reducing carbon dioxide emissions; these include Carbon Clean, whose technology cuts the cost of CO2 capture from industrial emissions by more than half. Meanwhile Monodraught’s ultra low-energy ventilation, lighting and cooling systems have saved 400,000 tonnes of CO2 over the past two decades.

Stephen Welton, Executive Chairman of BGF, who helped judge the finalists, said: “As we come out of the COVID-19 crisis, a major and radical shift to new sectors of the economy is now going to happen much faster. Top of the list is the environment. Turning net-zero emissions pledges into reality is a huge opportunity for investors, but it requires a significant amount of capital. BGF plans to increase our investments into sustainable businesses from 5% today to up to 20% in the next 18 months. The 10 Green Tech to Watch is a great platform to showcase promising companies in this space.”

The 10 Green Tech to Watchlist appears on page 12 of the Tech Track 100 supplement - also sponsored by BGF. The full list is published in this weekend’s business section of The Sunday Times, both in print and in the digital edition, and here.