Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), an organization that aims to help the province deliver on its environmental and economic goals, has invested $44.4 million across 21 cleantech projects as part of its Emerging Innovators Challenge.
ERA provided no more than 50 percent of a project’s total value, doling out cheque sizes ranging from $250,000 to $5 million.
The challenge is open to projects from small-and-medium-sized enterprises, organizations employing less than 500 people, and Indigenous communities with a “clear and justified value proposition” for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Alberta or working to get those emissions to net zero, which the province has said it will do by 2050.
Hyperspectral satellite imaging startup Wyvern, emissions management software startup Arolytics, and other cleantech companies were among the selected recipients, which are expected to deliver a cumulative GHG emission reduction of 1.2 million tonnes by 2030.
ERA provided no more than 50 percent of a project’s total value, doling out check sizes ranging from $250,000 to $5 million from the Government of Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction fund. The funded projects are worth $162.7 million with the combined investments from public and private partners, according to ERA.
Calgary-based biofuel company SixRing had the most valuable project, receiving the maximum contribution of $5 million from ERA for its $55.5-million project that looks to construct a commercial demonstration facility in Lethbridge, Alta. SixRing says it looks to “convert nature-based residues,” such as canola straw, into industrial products that would replace comparable products that are produced with fossil fuels. SixRing said it expects the facility to open in 2025.
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Edmonton-based Wyvern also received the maximum contribution towards a $18.5-million project that looks to demonstrate its satellite technology for wildfire mitigation and methane-leak detection. Wyvern also received just under $460,000 from Prairies Economic Development Canada to launch its new proprietary system earlier this month.
Calgary-based Arolytics, which provides emissions management software to oil and gas producers, received $1 million for its $2.5 million project to improve its methane monitoring techniques. Arolytics says that the enhancement will come through advanced analytics that will aim to detect patterns, which will guide the placement of equipment and surveys in the field.
ERA says that it has committed $986 million toward 299 projects since it was established in 2009. A full list of projects funded through the Emerging Innovators Challenge can be found on ERA’s website.
Feature image courtesy Igor Kyryliuk & Tetiana Kravchenko via Unsplash.
