The clean-energy industry has been one of the winners during the recession, according to research firm Clean Edge, as consumers and companies have shifted toward clean energy technology. One of the sector’s biggest stars is A123 Systems, builder of next-generation car batteries. It saw revenue jump 33 percent in 2009 thanks to the shift, and with a bit of help from the government.
The Watertown, Mass., company drew national attention in 2009 when it won a $249 million Recovery Grant for advanced battery technology from the US Department of Energy. A123 Systems produces batteries for electric grid services and next-generation vehicles using nanoscale materials originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It currently supplies batteries to Chrysler for its electric-drive ENVI vehicles.
