Greentech Media

Without question, one of the primary challenges facing the renewable-energy industry is management and monitoring. Whether it is part of an advanced smart-metering/demand-response program or a simple solar rooftop that requires some means of remote diagnostics, the success of renewable energy will, in part, rely on how effortlessly providers can integrate it into the current grid and their customers' operations. Always the dullest part of the communications and IT markets, management and monitoring probably won't raise its profile in greentech either, but it's important. And Fat Spaniel is impressive in its success thus far, with a nice group of investors and continued growth.

Looking further out, Fat Spaniel's solution enables the continued growth and expansion of the solar-electric-services market, driven today by companies integrating design, finance, installation and management of a solar-power system at a customer's location. Today, this market is a hodgepodge of independent providers, but there's nothing stopping utilities from getting into the act as well. If they do, Fat Spaniel is in a position to capitalize. We like the company's prospects well enough to plant it on our list.