Three Prairie-based research institutions have secured more than $16 million in federal funding to advance clean energy technology development across Western Canada.
The investments, announced as part of a $28.9 million national clean energy initiative through Natural Resources Canada's Energy Innovation Program, will support carbon capture and storage (CCS) research and renewable energy projects led by Calgary's Carbon Alpha, Regina's Petroleum Technology Research Centre, and Red Deer Polytechnic.
"Canada is scaling up clean energy while strengthening our electricity grid and responsibly growing our conventional energy industry—because competitiveness means doing more than one thing at the same time," said Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson.
Calgary Company Receives Largest Share
Carbon Alpha, the Calgary-based CCS developer acquired by Burnaby's Svante Technologies earlier this year, received the largest allocation at $10 million. The company will use the funding for a Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan project that tests innovative seismic survey design for CCS measurement, monitoring, and verification.
The project combines two- and three-dimensional seismic data to reduce the need for multiple 3D repeat surveys, potentially lowering environmental impact and costs across the more than $22-million initiative.
Underground CO₂ Research in Saskatchewan
The Regina-based Petroleum Technology Research Centre secured nearly $4.92 million to study how carbon dioxide plumes move and change within underground rock formations. The funding will support drilling new test wells and collecting monitoring data to better understand CO₂ behaviour in deep saline rock formations.
This research aims to reduce environmental, financial, and technical risks associated with geological CO₂ storage projects.
Solar-Agriculture Innovation in Alberta
Red Deer Polytechnic received approximately $1.25 million to demonstrate how 125-kilowatt solar panels can coexist with crop production, even in cold weather conditions. The institution will use artificial intelligence to analyze data and help landowners, utility providers, small businesses, and governments make informed decisions about solar power deployment on agricultural land.
"The site will not only validate the balance between energy generation and food production but also support commercialization of technologies," said Tonya Wolfe, associate vice president of applied research at Red Deer Polytechnic.
Working alongside partners including NSERC, CBI Solar, and Sun Cycle Farms, the polytechnic aims to provide evidence that solar energy and agriculture can sustainably coexist. The research could influence regulations that currently limit solar development on prime farmland through the nearly $2.5-million project.
The funding represents part of the federal government's broader strategy to accelerate clean energy technology development while supporting Canada's transition to a low-carbon economy.
This article is based on reporting by BetaKit.