Nov 22, 2005
Sustainable Development Technology Canada to Provide $42.5
Million in New Funding For Canadian Clean Technology Projects
Canada News Wire
From Tar Sand Oil Extraction to Municipal Solid Waste Gasification,
SDTC Funding Will Advance 15 Environmentally Friendly Technologies.
OTTAWA, Oct. 20 /CNW/ - Sustainable Development Technology Canada
(SDTC) will provide $42.5 million in new funding for clean technology
projects.
The funding, approved by SDTC's Board of Directors, will support the
development and demonstration of groundbreaking clean technologies and
fast-track their progress toward commercialization. Funding for each
project is subject to final contract negotiations.
"SDTC is committed to building Canada's sustainable development
technology infrastructure through support for promising new clean
technologies," said SDTC Chairman James M. Stanford. "Much more than a
funding partner, we help entrepreneurs connect with partners,
formalize business plans and qualify for venture-capital
financing."
The private and public sector consortia partners behind the projects
are investing an additional $91 million, representing a more than 2:1
ratio of industry-partner contribution to SDTC investment.
SDTC continues to be on track to allocate all of its funds up to
December 2010.
"Canada's commitment to the development of clean technologies will
allow Canadians to enjoy a better quality of life now and in the
future," said the Honourable John McCallum, Minister of National
Revenue and Minister of Natural Resources. "NRCan is pleased to
support SDTC as it continues to bring cutting-edge technology to the
marketplace."
"The Government of Canada strongly believes that technological advances
and innovation are vital tools for achieving Canada's - and indeed,
the world's - environmental goals" said the Honourable Stéphane
Dion,
Minister of the Environment. "New technologies will help Canadians
reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and improve our air quality,
while enjoying the benefits of a productive, competitive and
sustainable economy. This is the philosophy behind Project Green,
the Government of Canada's broad environmental vision that links
Canada's economic competitiveness and prosperity to a sustainable
future."
Since April 2002, SDTC has completed seven funding rounds, committed
$169 million to 75 clean technology projects, and leveraged $446
million from project consortia members, for a total portfolio value
of $615 million.
"The technologies represented in SDTC's seventh funding round offer
significant potential to benefit Canada's economy and the world's
environment," said Vicky J. Sharpe, President and CEO of SDTC. "It is
gratifying to see a continuous flow of funding applications across all
economic sectors, demonstrating SDTC's ongoing contribution to the
Government of Canada's sustainable development initiatives. The
applications we receive are exceptional both in quantity and
strength."
About SDTC
Sustainable Development Technology Canada is a foundation created by
the Government of Canada that operates a $550 million fund to support
the development and demonstration of clean technologies - solutions
that address issues of climate change and clean air, water and soil to
deliver environmental, economic and health benefits to Canadians. An
arm's length, not-for-profit corporation, SDTC fills the void in the
innovation chain between research and commercialization - helping clean
technology developers move through the development and demonstration
phases, in preparation for commercialization. SDTC applies a stringent
due diligence process when selecting technologies to support and
requires every applicant to involve a consortia of partners in their
project.
SDTC encourages collaboration among private, financial, academic,
public sector partners and with the Government of Canada and all
levels of government to build a sustainable development infrastructure
in Canada.
Lead Organization: SHEC LABS - Solar Hydrogen Energy
Corporation, Saskatoon, Sask.
Economic Category: Energy Exploration and
Production
Environmental Benefit: Climate Change/Clean Air
Consortium members:
• Clean 16 Environmental Technologies Corp.
• Giffels Associates Limited (An Ingenium Group
Company)
• University of Toronto - Department of Chemical
Engineering and Applied Chemistry
• Praxair Canada Inc.
Project Description
The consortium led by SHEC LABS will demonstrate hydrogen production
using solar energy, featuring the world's first commercial-scale
renewable solar hydrogen "Dry Fuel Reformation" (DFR) reactors, unique
solar concentrator designs and "Direct Water Splitting" (DWS)
technologies. Natural gas will be used initially to verify the
performance of the DFR systems, with the ultimate goal of testing the
complete DFR process using landfill gas (methane) at the project's
location, the City of Regina Fleet Street landfill. Currently, steam
reformation of fossil fuels is responsible for 95 percent of the
world's hydrogen production. A key project objective is to demonstrate
that SHEC LABS' technology can be cost-competitive with steam methane
reformation as well as dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions
and other air pollutants. SHEC LABS' solar hydrogen production will
provide a net energy gain when converting methane into hydrogen since
the energy used to drive the process is harvested from the sun. The
technology is particularly attractive for smaller and distributed
production of hydrogen at end-user sites, but could also be applicable
for large-scale hydrogen production in the future. The DWS technology,
the next generation of solar hydrogen production, will also be
demonstrated on a smaller scale and will involve direct water
splitting with only water as the primary feed component.
