Metro News | Five Vancouver Clean Tech Companies Making Waves
Vancouver’s clean tech industry runs the gamut of sectors. Here’s a look at five companies making a difference.
June 26, 2017 – By Matt Kieltyka
Carbon Engineering
While technically a Calgary company, Carbon Engineering chose Squamish as the site for a pilot project with the potential to change the world. Backed by investors like Bill Gates, Carbon Engineering has been developing technology capable of sucking carbon dioxide out of the air and turn it into fuel.
The plant works by moving large volumes of air through a piece of equipment where CO2 is absorbed by a liquid solution, and then transformed into pellets of calcium carbonate. The pellets are then heated to 800 or 900 degrees Celsius and break down, releasing pure carbon.
-with files from The Canadian Press
Semios Bio Technologies
Semios takes the ancient practice of agriculture and thrusts it into the 21st by turning orchards into a virtual, real-time network that can be controlled on a computer. Sensors set up in the field can detect everything from leaf health to frost and pests and take steps to prevent crops from being harmed. The network also monitors the moisture and temperature of soil for automatic irrigation and sends data straight to a farmer’s smartphone or device for real-time alerts in case conditions suddenly change.
Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies
Ostara recovers phosphorus from industrial waste streams and transforms it into eco-friendly fertilizer, marketed as ‘Crystal Green’. VEC facilitated a pilot in 2013 by helping Ostara sell to the City of Vancouver, a small but helpful project. Ostara was named to the 2013 Global Cleantech 100 List and was recognized as a market leader in technology with world-changing impact. Bobby Kennedy, who sits on their board, continues to drive publicity and growth for them worldwide.
-Source: Vancouver Economic Commission
Terramera
A made-in-Vancouver pesticide company that only uses natural plant defences to kill bugs without harming the rest of the environment, eliminating the need for harmful and toxic chemicals. Terramera isn’t just finding success in agriculture, but in household products too. The company is touted for its Proof plant-based bed bug spray and recently picked up the 2017 Small Business B.C. award for best innovation.
Ballard Power Systems
One of Metro Vancouver’s original clean tech companies, Burnaby-based Ballard has been around since 1979 and is best know for its innovative clean energy fuel cells.
Focused heavily on back-up power for the telecom sectors and mobile networks, as well as material handling equipment. Ballard partnered with Nokia Siemens Networks in 2012 for a fuel cell system test site (in Japan) – it gets activated during power blackouts. Wherever there is an unstable grid, Ballard is there.
-with files from the Vancouver Economic Commission
