Venture Capitalists Gather At Clean Tech Forum

Feb. 19 - KGO (KGO) -- You've been hearing a lot lately about business making green, by going green. The Clean Tech Forum going on in San Francisco is buzzing with venture capitalists.

The demand for clean energy is huge and the investment arena has ballooned to more than $3 Billion. Lots of opportunity.

Nancy Floyd has $400 million to invest at the Clean Tech Forum and she thinks renewable energy is the way to go.

Nancy Floyd, Nth Power, Venture Capitalist: "Who knows? I could write $50 million worth of checks."

Dan Stevens could use a check to build his ethanol plants, run on cow power.

Dan Stevens, E3 Biofuels Inc.: "They eat, they do their business, it feeds the plant and we make ethanol at a much lower cost."

And Peter Brehm says his company is making solar power as affordable as electricity from the grid.

Peter Brehm, Infinia, Corp.: "Basically the engine's at the top, you have a solar concentrator, which is really a mirror system."

Last year, investors wrote out checks for $ 2.6 billion for clean tech companies and this year venture capitalists are swarming here.

The atmosphere appears casual, but clean tech representatives know exactly who the deep pockets are and where they are.

Peter Brehm, Infinia, Corp.: "You look out of the corner of your eye, you know who the players are when they walk by. But there's more players. Many more players than last year."

Peter Brehm, Infinia, Corp.: "Right over here well he just walked away. Chrysalix Energy. I talked to you instead of him. Probably a mistake on my part."

Venture capital investors like Val Van Lierop want to invest, get ten times their money back and get out within seven years. But he says he's more interested in the management team.

Val Van Lierop, Chrysalix Energy, Venture Capitalist: "A half-hearted management team will make a mess of a good product. An okay product with a top management team will make us a lot of money."

Investors believe the time is right, and the next two days, could be seen as the historic launch of the clean tech industry.

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