Britain could be a “major power” for innovation in the green industry but those with new creations still struggle to get accepted.

That was the message from the ‘Cleantech Innovate’ event yesterday held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London, which saw 40 different British companies showcasing their inventions to industry experts, potential investors and new customers. The innovations ranged from those in energy generation and storage to low carbon transport and gizmos boosting the efficiency of the built environment.

Robert Hokin (pictured), Chief Executive at not-for-profit business development firm ecoConnect said: “Whether you call it low carbon goods and services or green industry or cleantech, innovation in the sector is nothing new… The UK could and should be a major power for green industry innovation. However, the majority of cutting-edge innovations in this country struggle to get seen, accepted and commercialised… We need to accelerate it.

“The Government is finally starting to recognise the true worth of this industry. It is an essential contributor to the UK’s economy but we’ve yet to hit our stride… The unified coordination for cleantech industry, it simply isn’t there. We get mixed messages from Government”.

He said events like Cleantech Innovate challenge the status quo by showcasing more cutting edge technologies sooner and helping them get out to the marketplace faster.

The cleantech industry is believed to be one of the UK’s most rapidly growing sectors, worth more than £106 billion, with around 880,000 people currently employed.