Green Investing in India has become a buzzword much as it has become in the rest of the world.However the Green Industry in India is at a nascent stage compared to other parts of the world .India does not figure in the Clean Technology race with Green Leadership being taken over by China with US ,Japan,South Korea and Europe in hot pursuit.It is not that India is totally bereft of Green Investing Opportunities but on a World Class level, India has still got a long way to go.

Wind Energy

Suzlon is/was the first World Class Green Company from India figuring in the top 5 Global Wind Turbine Makers . It made ambitious acquistions in Europe buying up German turbine producer Repower and Hansen Transmission at the Peak 2008 price levels.The Global Financial Crisis coupled with Execution problems has reduced to a bit player in the Wind Energy Market.It is languishing at 10% of its stock price peak with only faint hopes of a turnaround as it is still saddled with high debt .With the advent of Chinese heavyweights  Goldwind,Suzlon has little chances of winning its lost marketshare back.

Solar Energy

Like Suzlon,Moser Baer had ambitious plans in the Solar Energy field making investments left and right in Crystalline Silicon and Thin Film Solar.Also like Suzlon,its execution has fallen  far short of its ambitions.There are other companies like Tata BP Solar,Webel and others but they are not competitive on the world stage.The recent lobbying for protection from solar imports is clear proof of this fact.

Other Green Segments

India is almost non existent in other upcoming Green Industries of  Energy Efficiency,Energy Storage,Biofuels Clean Transportation etc.Most of the Technology and Equipment is imported from outside.There have been some innovative companies like Reva but these are exceptions which can be counted on fingers.Unlike its strengths in knowledge based sectors like Information Technology and Pharma,India still does not figure in Green Technology.

Green Investing Opportunities

The opportunities for Green Investing are  quite few at present with some upcoming Green IPOs and investing in listed companies like Suzlon,Moser Baer,Webel etc.However these investments are hardly lucrative relative to other booming sectors of the Indian Economy.Greater opportunities lie in the investing in Green Infrastructure like Hydro,Solar and Nuclear Power with substantial PE investments being made in this sector.In Summary,an investor would be much better off searching for “Greener Pastures” in countries other than India