The Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) has announced 16 projects that will receive $100 million CAD in funding through its BEST Challenge, a funding opportunity for biotechnology, electricity, and sustainable transportation.
The funded projects, worth a combined value of $600 million range from new solar opportunities in coal-impacted communities, to electrification of bus fleets, to energy storage, and bold new uses for hydrogen.
“Clean technology investments lead to made-in-Alberta solutions.”
The initiatives are expected to contribute to cumulative greenhouse gas reductions of 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents by 2030, equivalent to the emissions from 530,786 passenger vehicles driven for one year. These projects are also anticipated to reduce operating costs, the cost of energy, and create new economic opportunities.
“Innovation is a key part of Alberta’s economic and environmental success, and our industries continue to show tremendous leadership on this front,” said Shannon Phillips, the minister of Environment and Parks, as well as the Climate Change Office. “Clean technology investments lead to made-in-Alberta solutions that support jobs, protect our environment, and point Alberta toward a healthy, prosperous future.”
These projects aim to create new economic opportunities across electricity, transportation, and biological industries, and scale innovative technologies that can be adopted in communities across Alberta.
Related: Alberta government announces $70 million cleantech challenge
One of the projects to receive funding is eCAMION, a Toronto-based turn-key solution provider for the community energy storage industry. The company’s project will attempt to shift Alberta’s diesel-fueled transit buses to electric. eCAMION’s charging system is expected to reduce the impact of e-buses on the electrical grid and lower installation and operating costs, which would facilitate the faster adoption of electric buses across the province. A trial of this technology will take place in partnership with the City of Edmonton.
The ERA receives grants from the Alberta government from the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund. To date, ERA has committed more than $572 million in funding to 164 projects with a total value of approximately $4.3 billion. These projects are estimated to deliver cumulative greenhouse gas reductions of 43 million tons by 2030.
In other Alberta cleantech news, Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, has announced federal investment of $72.3 million to Alberta-based Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Titanium Corporation Inc., to fund three cleantech projects in Alberta’s oil and gas sector.
Related: Government announces $13 million investment in Calgary-based cleantech companies
Canadian Natural will receive $5 million through the Clean Growth Program (CGP) to further develop an in-pit extraction process that separates oil sands ore into solids, bitumen, and water at its Horizon Oil Sands mine site. The project’s goal is to reduce the number of diesel trucks and the amount of power needed. Titanium Corporation will receive a total of $45 million through the CGP and Low Carbon Economy Fund for a technology designed to remediate oil sands tailings at the Horizon Oil Sands site. An additional $10 million has been committed by ERA to further support this project.
“These projects provide Alberta’s oil and gas sector with solutions that will help reduce pollution, drive clean innovation and create good jobs,” said Sohi. “Accelerating clean technology development is a key component of our government’s approach to promoting sustainable economic growth as Canada moves toward a low-carbon economy.