It was a cleantech event unlike any that Canada had ever seen, said participants.

More than four hundred cleantech investors, large corporations, government officials, vendors and other industry professionals converged in Toronto this week for the Cleantech Network's Cleantech Forum XIV [ed.: AKA "Cleantech Forum 14." (Yeah, we had to look it up, too.)]

Attendees, some coming from as far away as Asian and Europe, braved the brisk Canadian fall for cleantech-related sessions, panels and networking.

And, as usual, we were there, a nuisance at the parties, snapping pictures.

You-Zhi Tang, partner, Venture Coaches (L) and Gordon Echlin, senior partner, Venture Coaches (C) chat with Marc McArthur, manager of the Ottawa Cleantech Initiative (R) (photo) >>

The first day, a Cleantech Research Lab Showcase highlighted leading scientists presenting their newest cleantech concepts and technologies. More than a dozen researchers, including from some leading Canadian universities, gave short presentations.

Technologies ranged from water purification, photovoltaics, revolutionary lighting and building control or breakthroughs in energy efficiency (for details of one interesting presentation in particular, read Cleantech.com's Fuel cells go to waste.)

The second day was dominated by keynotes presenting latest investment data from the cleantech sector (read Cleantech.com's VCs pour $1.74B into cleantech in Q3), a panel exploring global trends in VC cleantech spending in sectors like India, Canada and the U.S., as well as signficant new cleantech-related announcements from large corporates like Wal-Mart and Microsoft (read Cleantech.com's Wal-Mart & Microsoft's new cleantech deals.)

Andreas Stubelius, controller of the Swedish Energy Agency (L) and Erik Olsson, in business development for the Swedish Energy Agency (R), make the rounds (photo) >>

The next day, parallel tracks explored issues like energy efficiency and latest updates and thinking on the ever-controversial area of water as an investment sector.

"We've never had an event like this in Canada," noted Tyler Hamilton, reporter for the Toronto Star, a leading local daily newspaper, after a panel on the state of water investing.

(Hamilton's office is, conveniently, next door to the convention center.)

German-based Jeffrey Nadison, director new business ventures, John Deere (L) and Christian Linke, manager of agriculture services development for John Deere (R), talk cleantech and heavy machinery with David W. Morgan, VP and CFO of materials company Ecology Coatings (C) (photo) >>

A highlight of the Cleantech Forums are always the presentations by specially selected emerging cleantech companies seeking funding.

For Toronto, the Cleantech Group's advisory committee (which gets to pick the most interesting companies from the hundreds that apply), chose to hear from companies like:

• HY9, developer of membrane-based technology for hydrogen purification for industrial, cleantech and fuel cell applications
• Environmental Operating Solutions, using liquid carbon to remove nitrogen in wastewater
• Aldis, developer of hardware and software for transportation logistics
• Prism Solar, maker of photovoltaic solar cells
• Diversified Energy, maker of biofuel, gasification, and algae production systems
• SeQuential Biofuels, a retailer of biofuels
• Synodon, developer of gas detection technology for the airborne hydrocarbon detection industry
• Simbol Mining Co., extractor of valuable commodity minerals and metals from geothermal brines
• Benefuel, producer of biodiesel microrefineries
• Novazone, producer of organic products that kill food-and water-borne pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella
• Ecouture, premium sustainable clothing retailer
• Performance Plants, developer of crop development and gene discovery for biofuels production
• 6N Silicon, producer of solar grade silicon for solar cells
• Global ID, food tracking and certification
• CarbonFlow, carbon credit monetization, and
• SyncWave Energy, developer of technology to harness ocean wave energy

From left to right, Nigel Protter, president and CEO of SyncWave Energy, Kef Kasdin, general partner of Battelle Ventures, Peter Rothstein, executive in residence at Flagship Ventures and Bruce Laird of the state of Oregon economic and community development department may or may not have been discussing the nascent state of the wave energy industry (photo) >>

In the five years Cleantech has been presenting its Forum conferences around the world, some $900 million USD equivalent has been raised by presenting companies, directly attributable to their presentations at the Forums.

Alas—clearly a disappointment to some, especially Rob Day of @Ventures—the Cleantech Avenger did not make an appearance in Toronto.

But, as always, there was no telling whether the elusive superhero might have been skulking in the shadows, adopting some mild-mannered alter ego by day.

The Toronto Cleantech Forum began Wednesday, and concluded today.

The company's next Forum is December 3-4th in Beijing, China. Details here.