Albertans are passionate about balancing the development of this province’s rich resources with environmental stewardship. The Emerald Awards recognize and reward the excellent environmental initiatives undertaken each year by large and small corporations, individuals, not-for-profit associations, community groups and governments.

You can submit your nominations BEFORE Feb. 24th, 2012 by visiting http://emeraldfoundation.ca/emerald-awards/nominations/

Each year the Foundation receives nominations in ten established categories. Nominations open in November and close at the end of February.
A panel of knowledgeable judges, with cross-sectoral experience, carry out an independent evaluation based on criteria outlined in the nominations package and select the finalists and recipients.

In June each year, about 500 guests gather in Edmonton or Calgary to celebrate environmental excellence in Alberta and provide recognition to those individuals and organizations whose commitment to our environment truly demonstrates leadership. Because of their ingenuity, dedication and hard work, …

Today, the BC Government announced another in a series of many energy plans and strategies. The 2012 Natural Gas Strategy actually puts energy front and centre for economic development in the Province. The policy is big on ideas, but short on details. According to the Government, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is to be the key driver for the provincial economy for decades to come.  The global demand for liquefied natural gas is strong and BC's estimated natural gas reserves are substantial. Local First Nations have expressed support for LNG facilities and the pipelines that will bring the natural gas from the North. Nominating LNG as a pillar of the BC economy makes good sense. How the new energy plan is implemented is of course, critical. For the BC renewable energy industry, growing the demand for electricity in the Province is a good thing. The important decision is how much of the new LNG development will be powered by ...

 

SDTC is accepting Statements of Interest from February 22nd to April 18th, 2012
SDTC invests in late-stage development and pre-commercial demonstration of clean technologies by Canadian companies in a range of innovative solutions across all industries that address Climate Change, Clean Air, Water and Soil.
CONNECT with SDTC Applications:
Applications@sdtc.ca & www.sdtc.ca/applications
JOIN one of their upcoming Statement of Interest Webinar Workshops: www.sdtc.ca/workshops
•         SDTC Investment Priorities webinar will take place February 17th 11:00am – 1:00pm EST.

•         Additional webinars related to preparing a Statement of Interest application to follow in February and March (dates to be confirmed).

 

February 1, 2012
6:00 pm	to	8:00 pm

Date: February 1, 2012

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Location: Ambers Brewery, 9926 78 Avenue NW Edmonton

Topic: Industry Perspectives on the CleanTech Industry in Alberta

Speakers: Kyle Kasawski, Solar Productions, Landmark Group, David Neely, Canadian Smart Grid / Smart Cities – Integration Leader, GE Energy, Klaas Rodenburg, Sustainable Design, Stantec Consulting
Cost: $20 for drink & snacks and a 1 year individual membership to ACTia (limited time offer)

Register for this event

Listen to brief presentations from both SME and larger industry players about their perspectives on the CleanTech Industry in Alberta. Network with like-minded people from business, industry groups, potential investors and government.  Come network and enjoy some food and drinks!

What is ACTia?

ACTia is an association that focuses on addressing common issues facing the clean technology industry. ACTia’s mandate is to promote clean technologies to the private and public sectors. Key areas of interest to …

Manitoba’s biomass industry got a shot in the arm this week when the Manitoba government announced plans to boost the industry with the new Manitoba Biomass Energy Support Program (MBESP) by providing up to C$400,000 in grants. The program aims to encourage coal users within the province of Manitoba to switch to renewable fuels within the province. “Manitoba is committed to reducing our greenhouse-gas emissions and with the assistance of programs like this, Manitoba farms will reduce their carbon footprint and continue to be part of the solution to environmental challenges,” said Manitoba agriculture minister Ron Kostyshyn, in a release on why the new program is important for provincial businesses to make the switch from coal to renewable energy sources. Biofuels are clean-burning fuels. Fossil fuels, which come from long-dead plants and other organisms, ...

A series of recent policy-related developments within the biofuels industry may have set the stage for what could prove to be a significant shift in biofuel geopolitics over the next decade. To recap: the European Court of Justice (ECJ) affirmed an earlier ruling that held the imposition of carbon taxes on flights touching down or taking off on EU soil did not infringe international law or the Open Skies Agreement; a U.S. District Court ruled that California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) violates the U.S. Constitution; and the long-standing U.S. ethanol producer credit (aka “VEETC”) slipped quietly into the history books. Where do these developments leave the industry? While the inclusion of airline emissions in the EU’s ETS indicates that the buzz around aviation biofuels won’t fade anytime soon, the threat of costly trade wars by the ...

The California company HyperSolar is developing a way to produce renewable hydrogen and natural gas from wastewater using solar energy, and that could spell trouble for the fracking industry. In contrast to fracking, a method of natural gas drilling that can put communities and agricultural areas at risk for water contamination, HyperSolar’s new technology would do the reverse: it could provide communities with a financial offset to improve wastewater treatment operations that clean up polluted lands, and enable future growth without increased pollution. As a special bonus feature, the whole system is pretty much guaranteed to be earthquake-free. From Wastewater to Renewable Gas CleanTechnica covered HyperSolar late last year, when the company announced it was seeking a ...

There is a looming battle over the cost of energy between the ‘green at any cost’ versus the ‘green enough at a reasonable cost’ where wind/solar forces will battle natural gas—you can sense the fog of war ahead as the battle is being set up. The graphic above from a recent GTM Research report shows the reality in clear focus. The policy landscape has been designed to drive toward clean energy policies sometimes without much regard to the cost. It started with environmental groups challenging our polluting ways. Over time those views gained mainstream acceptance and today there is broad public support for the goal of a clean environment, protecting air quality and water quality for the future. We’ve supported the growth of regulatory requirements since the 1960?s to reduce contaminants and pollutants imposing environmental impact review ...

 

BrightSource Energy CSP solar tower. Brightsource raised $201 million in 2011.

This article was originally published on Climate Progress and has been reposted with permission. As emerging clean technology companies reach stages of growth that require enormous amounts of deployment capital, investment figures for 2011 reflect that market dynamic. Last year, global corporate and venture capital investments in cleantech grew 13% over 2010, reaching almost $9 billion, according to preliminary figures released from the Cleantech Group. Most of those investments are going to companies that have already picked up one or more rounds of funding, with 85% of dollars flowing into Series B rounds or later. The most stunning increase in activity last year was in mergers and acquisitions, which grew by 154% in 2011. Because it’s often more attractive for cleantech companies to merge with a ...

Renewable sources of energy provided a greater share of U.S. domestic energy production than nuclear during the first nine months of 2011, according to a new report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In its latest monthly energy review, the EIA reports that renewable energy — including solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass/biofuels — provided 11.95 percent of energy production during the first three-quarters of 2011, compared with 10.62 percent from nuclear. During the same period in 2010, about 10.85 percent of domestic energy production came from renewables; in 2009, it was 10.33 percent. Among renewable sources, hydropower produced the largest contribution of total domestic energy, with 4.35 percent, followed by biomass (3.15 percent) and biofuels (2.57 percent). In the electricity sector, renewable sources provided 12.73 percent of net electrical generation in the U.S., according to the ...