Clean technology addresses sustainability while creating opportunity for economic diversification in Alberta. The Clean Technology program invests in projects to adapt, develop and deploy innovative clean technologies to benefit Albertans and contribute to the growth of the province’s low-carbon economy. In each of the priority focus areas, Alberta Innovates looks for projects and activities that can reduce environmental impacts, support Alberta’s energy transition, generate jobs in a clean tech economy, and engage industry, researchers and communities to participate in their future energy systems.
Renewable and Alternative Energy focuses on grid modernization, energy storage and electricity generation to support energy development from individual technology components to systems-level integration. The future of electricity systems involves the generation, transmission, distribution and storage of energy using smart, data-enabled, and digital solutions. New opportunities for generation from geothermal to nuclear help in transitioning to low-carbon electricity.
Alberta has an opportunity to use grid modernization to focus more than just on cost, reliability and safety and include more aspects like sustainability, equity, and access.
Renewable and Alternative Energy is positioned to ensure Alberta’s future electricity system is safe, reliable, resilient, affordable, designed for growth, capable of incorporating decentralized energy resources and sustainable.
Grid Modernization
The Alberta Smart Grid Consortium chaired by Alberta Innovates is one way that we’re championing Grid Modernization in Alberta. Smart grid technologies enable decentralized energy resources (DERs) and manage the complexities of two-way flow of electricity within a grid.
Energy Storage
Batteries and other non-wire solutions can be an affordable way to incorporate intermittent energy sources and provide a reliable, resilient electricity grid. Energy storage facilitates growth and adoption of renewable energy sources. Energy storage and the corresponding technology development to enable it can contribute to energy independence, energy access, and energy equity, particularly for Indigenous and remote communities.
Electricity Generation
Our focus is on new types of low-emitting generation and decentralized opportunities to diversify Alberta’s electricity system. This includes Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, geothermal, solar, wind and more. Initiatives like the Alberta Innovates Learn How Series on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors contributes to energy literacy and paves the way for future deployment of low-emitting generation technologies.
To access the Alberta Innovates Learn How Series on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors learning series go to: https://inventurescanada.com/, then go to the Free 24/7 Access tab in the middle and sign up. Once registered on the Inventure$ Unbound platform, access all the webinar recordings by going directly to the platform, available here https://lnkd.in/gXfBmS7.
Read the Q&A from the Learn How Series on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.
Project Funding and Eligibility Criteria
Support is open to researchers, innovators, small and medium-sized enterprises, large companies and others who are seeing funding, expertise and/or sector leadership to advance technology development from TRL 3-7.
The Clean Resources Continuous Intake Process is used to assess projects for funding eligibility. Details of eligibility criteria and application processes are available on the Clean Resources Continuous Intake Process webpage. If the project aligns with the eligibility criteria, please contact the Project Advisor before submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Project Library and Project Activities
Visit the Project Library to view final reports and project summaries. Or follow these links to interesting articles about project activities.
