GlobeSt.com: What does Cleantech San Diego do for the San Diego commercial real estate market?

Anderson: As part of its growing Smart Cities San Diego initiative, Cleantech San Diego is bringing exciting new energy- and cost-saving technologies from companies like GE, Intel, Dell, OSIsoft, Qualcomm, Cisco and Black & Veatch to landmark locations like Downtown San Diego, the Port of San Diego, the City of Chula Vista and the San Diego International Airport. These high-profile cleantech deployments will advance San Diego's position as a global smart-city leader.

GlobeSt.com: What impact will cleantech have on San Diego's commercial real estate market in the coming years?

Anderson: As urban populations continue to grow, cities around the globe are looking to new technologies to help manage real estate resources in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner. Cleantech San Diego is working with the private and public sector to tap technologies that can transform the San Diego region's energy profile so we may remain competitive in the global marketplace. We are pleased to see smart-building projects using sensors to detect energy consumption and translate it into easy-to-manage, real-time data upon which building operators can act. This increased demand-response capability allows commercial-building operators to analyze energy-use patterns throughout the facility, identify abnormalities and adjust behaviors accordingly, which results in energy savings, cost savings and reduced greenhouse-gas emissions.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about Cleantech San Diego?

Anderson: Eight years since our founding, Cleantech San Diego now has 120 private, public, and academic member organizations from across the greater San Diego region supporting our mission. Throughout the years, we have worked with our members and partners to position San Diego as a leader in the cleantech economy. Last year San Diego was named the #4 metro region for cleantech leadership in the country. We are the #2 city in the nation for solar installations. We have 18,000 electric vehicles on our roads and more than 900 public charging stations. We are home to the top programs in the nation for algae biofuel research and top companies working in commercialization of biorenewables. We are also fortunate to have access to progressive municipalities, universities, and the military, all committed to advancing cleantech innovations. Our stakeholders clearly view cleantech and sustainability solutions as exciting and viable business opportunities—citizens are continuing to demand these solutions, and the marketplace is responding.