Silicon Valley’s cleantech sector, which includes biofuels, electric vehicles, energy storage, lighting, solar and the smart grid, has spawned all kinds of startups. But only four cleantech companies made the Mercury News’ annual survey of the valley’s 150 largest public tech companies: solar manufacturer SunPower, electric carmaker Tesla Motors, smart grid networking company SilverSpring Networks, which is new to the list this year, and SolarCity, a leading solar financier and installer.

Tesla had a stellar year, and is now the 39th largest tech company in the Valley based on revenue, a jump of 42 points from its 81st place ranking in 2012.

Though Tesla’s stock price is one of the most volatile on the Nasdaq, it is enjoying growing success as it produces its all-electric Model S sedan in higher volumes and enters markets in Europe and Asia. In 2013, the Palo Alto-based company saw sales of more than $2 billion, a 387 percent increase in sales. Its market cap jumped even higher, by 492 percent.

Redwood City based Silver Spring Networks, one of the leading companies in the highly competitive “smart grid” space, is new to the SV 150 this year. The company, which was largely backed by Foundation Capital, celebrated its long-awaited IPO in March 2013.

The Department of Energy and the nation’s leading utilities are eager to make the electric grid more reliable, secure and efficient, from the power plant and transmission lines to homes and offices. Silver Spring Networks provides the hardware, software and services that allow the smartgrid to function, and has inked deals with several leading utilities, including PG&E and Baltimore Gas & Electric.

This year looks promising for cleantech. Google acquired “smart” thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 billion in cash, and OPower, which provides cloud-based software for utilities, made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange April 7, raising $116 million in its IPO and boosting its valuation to $1 billion.

Contact Dana Hull at 408-920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/danahull.