BC Companies in the Global Cleantech Top 100
It is no secret that clean technology is a priority for British Columbia. The province is at the forefront of green innovation, with a large, educated workforce, and is home to more than a quarter of all Canadian clean technology companies. This is reflected as seven British Columbia clean technology companies are on the 2022 Global Cleantech 100 list. The Cleantech Group provides market intelligence research about clean tech innovation and had a panel of 86 experts choose the top 100 clean tech companies out of over 10,000 nominated companies from over 94 countries.
B.C. Companies on the Global Cleantech 100 List
Ekona Power Inc. is a Vancouver-based energy technology company that targets industrial hydrogen and natural gas decarbonization markets. With a commitment to address global climate change, Ekona is set out to transform how hydrocarbon resources are utilized for delivering low carbon-intensity hydrogen. The target markets for Ekona’s solution are refineries, ammonia plants or chemical plants that are seeking large-scale, clean hydrogen at costs on par or better than conventional methods.
General Fusion Inc. was founded in 2002, and the Burnaby-based company aims to transform the world’s energy supply by developing the first commercially viable fusion power plant. The technology, Magnetized Target Fusion, delivers clean, safe, and on-demand power at industrial scale. This provides a powerful complement to renewable energies.
Ionomr Innovations, located in Vancouver, develops and markets ion-exchange membrane and polymer solutions for clean technology solutions, such as fuel cells, hydrogen production, and a range of energy storage applications. Its breakthrough technology of ion-exchange membrane can improve efficiency and performance while minimizing cost and environmental impact.
Carbon Engineering Ltd. focuses on capturing carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas responsible for climate change, directly out of the air to counteract carbon dioxide emissions. Its megaton-scale Direct Air Capture technology can capture one million tons of CO2 per year each, which is equivalent to the carbon removal work of approximately 40 million trees. Carbon Engineering has offices in Squamish and Vancouver, and have been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times, The Economist, and Forbes.
MineSense Technologies Ltd., based in Vancouver, is a pioneer in digital mining solutions, with both hardware and software systems, to measure and report ore grade and ore characteristics in real-time. The data measured in each scoop enables increases in ore recovery from waste and reduces waste material processed by defining the material at a more precise level. In addition, MineSense received a Clean Technology award in the Technology Fast 50 program, curated by Deloitte, that recognizes Canada’s top clean innovators that provide processes, goods, or services that reduce environmental impacts.
Pani Energy provides a cloud-based machine learning software platform to increase the efficiency of industrial and city scale desalination and wastewater treatment plants. Its AI Coach is the first software solution that works with the plant as it is, with no retrofits or disruptions, and aims to increase asset life and reduce down time. Pani Energy is the only one of the B.C. companies on the Cleantech list that is located on the Vancouver Island.
Svante Inc. offers technology to capture large-scale CO2 directly from industrial sources at less than half the capital cost of existing solutions. The Burnaby-based company strives to capture carbon dioxide from flue gas, concentrates it, then releases it for safe storage or industrial use, all within a minute. In 2021, Svante Inc. also received a $25 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund’s Net Zero Accelerator. The investment supports the industrialization and commercialization of Svante’s low-cost carbon capture technology.
British Columbia Clean Tech Sector
These excellent clean tech companies show that B.C. is a global leader in researching, developing, and commercializing innovative new systems and products. Their visions of solving the climate change challenge by advancing their methods and technology to increase efficiency, reduce emissions, or to reduce costs. The clean tech sector also has a strong support system with the provincial and federal governments. The province has a robust portfolio of grant programs for businesses. For example, the CleanBC Industry Fund has invested approximately $43 million in industrial emission-reduction projects. In 2021, The B.C. Government also partnered with the Government of Canada and Shell Canada to establish the new B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy, with initial funding of $105 million.
Want to know about the latest news and programs that make a difference in the clean tech sector? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
