Cleantech gets a boost in Canada

Nineteen Canadian cleantech projects spanning energy generation, biofuels, advanced materials, water and more have pulled in Cdn$57 million in funding from Ottawa-based Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

SDTC, an arm's length foundation, is backed by Cdn$1.05 billion from the federal government for investments in clean technology.

Vicky Sharpe, president and CEO of SDTC, told the Cleantech Group that the foundation is the biggest fund in terms of direct investments in cleantech globally.

"We have a huge portfolio of great companies and now we're up at 144," she said.

The foundation's SD Tech Fund, which handed out the cash in this round, has now completed 12 funding rounds, committing a total of $342 million and leveraging $800 million from project consortia members.

SDTC operates two funds, with the $550 million SD Tech Fund supporting projects that address climate change, air quality, clean water, and clean soil. The $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund supports first-of-kind large demonstration-scale facilities for next-generation renewable fuels (see Ottawa backs biggest biofuel fund).

"The cleantech pipeline in Canada is still extremely active and not showing any signs of declining," said Sharpe.

As well as covering a broad range of technologies, the latest round of funding was also well-rounded geographically. In the west, Vancouver, British Columbia-based Clean Current Power Systems plans to demonstrate its commercial scale tidal turbine.

SDTC previously supported the successful testing of Clean Current's pilot scale unit at Race Rock Ecological Reserve in British Columbia. Clean Current's turbine is also one of three technologies selected by the Nova Scotia Department of Energy for a tidal testing site being developed in the Bay of Fundy (see Bay of Fundy to get three test turbines).

In Kingston, Ontario, Pathogen Detection Systems is developing a portable, on-site, high-speed, fully automated microbiological water monitoring system to detect E. coli and total coliforms in water.

And over on the east coast, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island's Atlantec BioEnergy plans to build a 13 million liter per year pilot scale ethanol biorefinery using locally grown sugar beets as the main feedstock.

"Also, I think importantly, we have an aboriginal co-gen company that is looking at an opportunity that addresses watershed and soil contamination from their perspective, and also enables their communities in off the grid situations to be a participant in this," said Sharpe.

Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Aboriginal Cogeneration will demonstrate, using a small scale gasifier with new syngas scrubbing technology, that it can safely process waste creosote railway ties and a variety of other biomass waste materials while cogenerating electricity and process heat.

In addition to generating power and heat, the system could offer an environmentally friendly alternative to stock piling railway ties along tracks, sending them for incineration or putting them in landfills.

Toronto's Morph Technologies is one of the advanced materials companies getting funding in this round. It's developed a nanometal polymer which offers up to 47 percent weight reduction in engine and drivetrain vehicle components over equivalent steel parts.

Sharpe said, "It just shows that you can begin to move into the automotive market with parts that are able to be changed out and not have issues around the strength of the vehicle and safety."

"I think if we crack that market with people like Morph Technologies, you'll begin to see the acceptance within the marketplace and it moving forward," she said. "This makes absolute sense — lightweighting in vehicles."

Other companies receiving funding in this round include Cyrium Technologies in Ottawa and St. Philips, Newfoundland-based AMP Fisheries.

Cyrium is aiming to add more than 10 percent efficiency to existing concentrated photovoltaic solar receivers using quantum dots. The company plans to demonstrate a scaled-up manufacturing process with nano-scale indium arsenide crystals deposited in layers within a multi-junction solar cell to capture a broader spectrum of light.

AMP Fisheries plans to construct, install and test electric winches for a midsize fishing vessel, under 25 meters, hoping to accelerate the adoption of diesel electric propulsion and eventually completely electric.

"We have the potential for a 72 percent GHG reduction per vessel," said Sharpe. "I think that one is more of a demonstration, and if it works should move to market quickly."

For a complete list of all 19 projects, click here.

SDTC will launch the next call for statements of interest for the SD Tech Fund in September, with a decision on the next round of investments expected in June 2009.

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