Building a testing facility that uses an alternative approach to processing biofuels is one of 21 projects led by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) receiving a total of $44.4 million from the Government of Alberta through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)’s Emerging Innovators Challenge.
Funding is sourced from the Government of Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund. Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, made the announcement alongside ERA’s CEO, Justin Riemer, on Friday, July 12, in Calgary at SixRing’s production facility.
Funded projects, worth a combined $162.7 million in public and private investment, include piloting an approach to monitor wildfire impacts and detect methane leaks from space, deploying a treatment method for oil sands process-affected water, a new technology to recycle plastics, a novel facility to remove containments from soil, advanced digital solutions for energy efficiency, demonstrating the effectiveness of AI-powered lighting in commercial greenhouses and vertical farms, and more.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises are critical to Alberta’s economy. The Government of Alberta’s investment through ERA’s Emerging Innovators Challenge will provide 21 SMEs with access to capital and support services, allowing them to commercialize their technology, increase their competitiveness, and reduce emissions.”Justin Riemer, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta
Funding amounts range from $250,000 to $5 million and each project will be piloted, demonstrated, or deployed within Alberta. Projects span industrial sectors including power generation, agriculture, agri-food, forestry, oil and gas, fertilizer, construction, electricity distribution, and more.
If successful, the 21 projects have the potential to deliver annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of 217 thousand tonnes, cumulative reductions of 1.2 million tonnes by 2030, and 5 million tonnes by 2050. This funding is also projected to create 879 person-year jobs in Alberta and have a $238 million GDP impact in the province by 2027.
Archer BD | ERA funding: $410,000 | Total project value: $960,000
Demonstrate the viability of a new SAGD steam technology to offer more affordable and lower environmental footprint bitumen production potential through lab and field feasibility demonstration activities to prove commercial readiness.
ArkeaBio | ERA funding: $2,350,000 | Total project value: $4,900,000
Test a novel inoculant designed to target methane-producing bacteria in cattle with the aim of reducing methane generation from the digestion process.
Arolytics | ERA funding: $1,000,000 | Total project value: $2,530,000
Develop software to help oil and gas operators record, reconcile, and report methane emissions data from various sources and optimize programs to monitor, detect and repair leaks efficiently.
Boundary Energy | ERA funding: $250,000 | Total project value: $500,000
Develop an ultra-low temperature Organic Rankin Cycle power generation prototype system that efficiently captures, stores, and converts energy from low-grade thermal sources.
DERBI | ERA funding: $620,000 | Total project value: $1,230,000
Demonstrate the benefits of virtual power plants for energy consumers and grid operators through a collection of software and hardware systems that work together to manage and optimize distributed energy resources at scale.
ElectroKinetic Soil Treatment | ERA funding: $1,500,000 | Total project value: $3,510,000
Build and operate a commercial demonstration system for a treatment technology that removes contaminants from soil including salts, hydrocarbons, and heavy metals.
Etalim | ERA funding: $1,940,000 | Total project value: $4,830,000
Demonstrate the cost, reliability, and efficiency of powering well-head equipment with an advanced onsite electricity generation technology using waste methane that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere.
Great Northern Power | ERA funding: $450,000 | Total project value: $1,820,000
Demonstrate a waste heat recovery system specifically designed for the scale and type of engines used in natural gas compression.
H2nanO | ERA funding: $1,850,000 | Total project value: $7,600,000
Deploy a floating solar catalyst technology as a low-energy treatment method for oil sands process-affected water at field pilot/pre-commercial scale.
Highwood Emissions Management | ERA funding: $2,230,000 | Total project value: $4,460,000
Develop and validate the Emissions Intelligence Platform, a software solution that helps companies use multiple data streams to prove their true methane emissions, quantify uncertainty, manage risk, and comply with emerging methane regulations.
Kathairos Solutions | ERA funding: $250,000 | Total project value: $500,000
Validate the technical and economic feasibility of a nitrogen-powered vapour recovery unit to eliminate oil tank venting in remote areas.
Landmark Group of Companies | ERA funding: $1,950,000 | Total project value: $3,970,000
Demonstration of an innovative, high-performance Nail-Laminated Timber (NLT) foundation in residential housing to evaluate structural performance of the mass timber product.
NTWIST | ERA funding: $700,000 | Total project value: $1,600,000
Use AI and Machine Learning to integrate data from many sources to help the resource sector optimize operations, reduce emissions, limit manual operator decisions, support sustainability of plants, and enhance energy efficiency.
OptiSeis Solutions | ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $16,200,000
Demonstrate the effectiveness of technology that can help significantly reduce the land footprint and GHG emissions associated with subsurface imaging programs.
Resolve Plastics Recycling | ERA funding: $2,000,000 | Total project value: $4,780,000
Build and demonstrate a novel technology for recycling all types of post-consumer plastics using a proprietary mechanical recycling unit that can accept highly variable and mixed plastic streams.
Rokk Energy | ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $10,400,000
Design, test, and produce the components for an innovative new drilling system for multilateral wells in unconventional formations–reducing costs, emissions, and surface footprint by getting greater production from each vertical well.
SixRing | ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $55,500,000
Build a commercial pilot facility deploying SixRing’s proprietary biomass processing alternative in Lethbridge county, to produce a range of sustainable industrial products, including biochemicals, replacing those from fossil sources.
SmartGRO Bioengineering | ERA funding: $1,600,000 | Total project value: $5,000,000
Validate and demonstrate the effectiveness of AI-optimized horticultural lighting products in commercial greenhouses and vertical farms to grow plants more efficiently while reducing energy use.
Sultech Global Innovation | ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $13,300,000
Demonstrate the scalability and reliability of converting sulphur waste from the oil & gas sector into plant nutrient and soil amendment products.
Ultracoustics Technologies | ERA funding: $260,000 | Total project value: $620,000
Test, validate, and complete commercial design for a technology capable of using acoustic sensors to detect pinhole leaks in industrial refrigerant systems.
Wyvern | ERA funding: $5,000,000 | Total project value: $18,530,000
Pilot an approach to monitor wildfire impacts and detect methane leaks from space using high-resolution, hyperspectral satellites.
Leave a Reply