Harper Government Announces Significant Investments in Jobs and Clean Technologies in Ontario

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, along with Jane Pagel, Acting CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), today announced seven clean technology projects in Ontario receiving investments totalling over $26.8 million, supporting jobs, economic growth and the environment. These projects are benefitting from the Harper Government's investment in SDTC's SD Tech Fund™ through Canada's Economic Action Plan. 

These development projects will help reduce emissions, protect the environment and generate high-quality jobs:

• Grafoid Inc. in Ottawa will receive $8,121,000 to develop low-cost, environmentally sustainable, high-quality graphene with a minimal environmental footprint.
• OTI Lumionics in Toronto will receive $5,700,000 to implement a pilot production line capable of producing high volumes of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting panels.
• Ranovus Inc. in Ottawa will receive $4,250,000 for commercializing technology that streamlines data through data centres reducing energy consumption four-fold.
• Kelvin Storage in Toronto will receive $2,800,000 to develop a Thermal Matrix Energy Storage (TMES) system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by industrial facilities worldwide.
• Polar Sapphire in Mississauga will receive $2,650,000 for an energy-efficient process to produce high-purity alumina, used in the production of synthetic sapphire.
• GaN Systems in Ottawa will receive $2,188,000 to maximize the efficiency of electric vehicle chargers connecting to the power grid, reducing wasted heat and cutting power losses while batteries charge.
• Ionada in Concord will receive $1,100,000 to produce a cost-effective, energy-efficient marine scrubber to remove sulphur oxides from ship exhaust.

On February 18^th, SDTC announced that the SD Tech and Natural Gas Funds have re-opened to new applications from the next wave of clean technology entrepreneurs.

Quick Facts

• Canada possesses one of the cleanest electricity mixes in the world with just under two-thirds of its electricity coming from renewable sources — the highest in the G7.
• In 2013, Canada was the second-fastest growing clean energy market in the G20.
• Canada's per-capita GHG emissions are now among their lowest level since tracking began.
• In 2013, the Harper Government announced $325 million over eight years in support for SDTC for advanced research projects resulting in a cleaner environment.
• SDTC's SD Tech Fund™ has supported 269 projects with $684 million allocated by the federal government.
• 57 of the more mature companies supported by SDTC have received $2.5 billion in follow-on financing as of December 2013, meaning that for every dollar invested by Canada in these companies, the marketplace has responded with $14 of private capital.
• The SD Tech Fund™ supports projects that address climate change, air quality, clean water and clean soil, providing solutions to key Canadian industries that increase efficiency and enhance environmental responsibility.

Quotes

"Our government is investing in advanced clean energy technologies that create well-paying jobs and generate economic opportunities. Today's announcement contributes to economic prosperity and a cleaner environment in Ontario and across Canada."

The Honourable Greg Rickford
Canada's Minister of Natural Resources

"The projects announced today are great examples of the Canadian clean tech initiatives and true entrepreneurship that drive SDTC's portfolio. By supporting these innovative technologies, SDTC is investing in efficiency and environmental performance — which translates into a cleaner environment. We look forward to working with these companies to get their products closer to commercialization."

Jane Pagel
Acting CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)

"Grafoid Inc., a complete solutions graphene company and Canada's graphene standard bearer in global markets, is very pleased and grateful to the Government of Canada and SDTC for their $8.2-million contribution in support of our development of an automated production method for our proprietary MesoGraf™ graphene process. We see SDTC's funding commitment as a tacit recognition by the Government of Canada of Grafoid's leading science as we advance the commercialization of graphene — a material with the potential to benefit humanity."

Gary Economo
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Grafoid Inc.

"OTI Lumionics is thrilled to have received funding from Government of Canada through SDTC to engineer, install and operate an organic LED (OLED) lighting pilot production line capable of producing commercial volumes of thin, lightweight and flexible lighting panels. In particular, we are excited to demonstrate the economic and technical performance of OTI's enabling OLED technology at production scale. We greatly appreciate SDTC's funding and the organization's overall assistance in helping us to expand our strategic partnerships. We are proud to be an SDTC portfolio company."

Tom Lever
Vice-President, OTI Lumionics

"The Internet has become an integral part of our society with growth in mobility, social networking and cloud computing. Data centres play a pivotal role in providing instantaneous service to meet our everyday demand and, in the process, leave behind a very large carbon footprint. The energy required for data centres accounts for two percent of the world's electricity consumption and growing. The support of the Government of Canada and SDTC will enable RANOVUS to build a world-class Canadian capability to tackle the energy efficiency of data centres around the world."

Hamid Arabzadeh
Chairman and CEO, RANOVUS.

"Industries and power generators worldwide are being pressured to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels. The challenge is how to do that economically. Kelvin Storage Inc., leveraging strategic financial support from the Government of Canada through SDTC, will commercialize its proprietary Thermal Matrix Energy Storage technology to deliver an economically attractive solution to this problem. This technology will convert grid-scale, inexpensive, off-peak electricity into high-temperature CleanHeat, store it, and deliver it on demand to an existing host — displacing the need to burn fossil fuels."

Kevin Gilchrist
President, Kelvin Storage Inc.

 "Polar Sapphire is thankful for the support from the Government of Canada through SDTC. This funding will help us develop an environmentally friendly technology for making high-purity alumina for the sapphire industry. Sapphire is used in the process of making LEDs and smart phone parts such as camera lenses, home buttons and cover glass. Our product will be exported to manufacturers who will then make LEDs and smart phones that Canadians and people around the world will use every day."

Scott Nichol
CEO, Polar Sapphire

"We are delighted with the announcement of our $2.2-million in funding from the Government of Canada through SDTC to support the further applications of our gallium nitride power transistors. In conjunction with Delta-Q, we will develop real-world solutions for electric drivetrains with immediate applicability to a wide range of energy-saving transportation. This is our second SDTC project, and we can say without hesitation that the SDTC support is incomparable, not just its funding, but in the disciplines and credibility it brings to our internal processes. Sophisticated investors recognize this, and the mark of approval that the due diligence and award of an SDTC grant bring to a company is invaluable."

Girvan Patterson
President, GaN Systems Inc.

"It is a tremendous honour for Ionada to receive an award from SDTC and the Government of Canada. The funding will help create Canadian innovative clean marine technology jobs and help position the company as a global leader in emission capture and control systems for transportation and industrial process applications."

Edoardo Panziera
President/CEO, Ionada

Related Products

• Backgrounder — Harper Government and SDTC Announce New Clean Technology Funding in Ontario

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Image with caption: "The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada'?s Minister of Natural Resources (6th from left), announced funding totalling over $26.8 million to support the development of seven clean technology projects across Ontario on February 20, 2015 in Toronto. The Minister is joined by representatives of companies leading on the seven clean technology projects. (CNW Group/Natural Resources Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150220_C1676_PHOTO_EN_12407.jpg

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