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Canada funds 16 cleantech startups in one day
March 6, 2009 - by Dallas Kachan, Cleantech Group
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Canada's federal government, through the arms-length foundation Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), this morning announced CDN $53 million in grants to 16 clean technology companies from around the country.
In an announcement in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, officials cited economic benefits of the grants.
“It’s especially important now for this government to support clean technologies such as these that provide opportunities for economic growth while offering innovative solutions to help tackle climate change,” said Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources. “Our government is working to accelerate key investments in Canada's infrastructure in order to create jobs and help stimulate our economy.”
The grants were made to companies ranging from power generation to agriculture and waste management, projects that “have great potential and they can really make a difference to the lives of Canadians,” said SDTC Chairman Juergen Puetter.
“SDTC’s financial support will help them get through the development and demonstration stages, paving their path to commercialization so that the environmental and economic benefits they bring can be enjoyed by all.”
Sharing the $53 million, in undisclosed ratios, are:
- Alterna Energy of Prince George, British Columbia, processing waste forestry productsinto biocarbon
- A.U.G. Signals of Toronto, Ontario, commercializing a drinking water monitoring system
- dPoint Technologies Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia, developing polymer membranes for heat recovery
- EcoSynthetix of Milton, Ontario, producing latex from renewable feedstocks
- General Fusion of Burnaby, British Columbia, developing fusion technology using acoustic waves
- Greenfield Ethanol of Toronto, Ontario, to further fund its lignocellulosic ethanol demonstration project
- Innoventé of St-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Quebec, perfecting a drying process to transform organic residues like manures, municipal sewage, food processing wastes into bio-energy material
- Integran Technologies of Toronto, Ontario, developing an environmental alternative for hard chrome plating
- Nexterra Energy of Vancouver, BC, for its biomass gasification-to-internal combustion engine (BG-ICE) system for small-scale (2-20MWe), distributed power generation
- Paragon Soil and Environmental Consulting of Edmonton, Alberta, for land remediation and reclaimation from drilling
- Performance Plants of Kingston, Ontario, for its biochemistry intended to improve cellulosic ethanol yields
- REGEN Energy of Toronto, Ontario, for wireless energy control technology to simplify building control systems
- SunCentral of Vancouver, British Columbia, for low cost tracking mirrors and light guides channeling daylighting to the cores of multistory buildings
- SyncWave Systems of Pemberton, British Columbia, for its wave energy systems [ed. note: Syncwave said this morning it is to receive $2.7M of today's new SDTC funding]
- TROPE DesignResearch of Halifax, Nova Scotia, developing solar energy storage material on double-glazed windows
- Vive Nano of Toronto, Ontario, for nanomaterial intended to reduce the amount of chemical product required for a given application
These new investments bring SDTC’s total portfolio value to over $1.3 billion. SDTC’s SD Tech Fund™ has completed thirteen funding rounds, committing $376 million to 154 clean technology projects, and leveraging $905 million from project consortia members. The figures include adjustments made to the portfolio, according to officials.
SDTC launched a latest call for new project applicants in February. Applicants matching the investment priorities on the SDTC website (www.sdtc.ca) or that address climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil issues are encouraged to apply.
SDTC is an arm’s-length foundation which has received $1.05 billion from the Government of Canada. It operates two funds aimed at the development and demonstration of innovative technological solutions.
Copyright © 2009 Cleantech Group LLC. All rights reserved, including right of redistribution.
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