While advances in cleantech are ultimately designed to be better for the planet, key to their rapid and widespread adoption is the fact that they’re also better for businesses and local economies.As the global transition from traditional power generation to renewable sources gains momentum, Canada is emerging as a leader in the development of some of the most promising cleantech innovations.
The grid is naturally and rightfully complex, risk averse and conservative – it has to keep lights on – so we need even more intelligence.In the short-term, e-Zinc aims to help large energy users save money by drawing more power during lower-rate off-peak hours and storing it for use when rates are higher. Users also have a clean and reliable energy backup system in case of emergency.
To date, e-Zinc has secured roughly $100-million in equity and grant financing, which it used in part to build a 42,000-square-foot pilot production facility in Mississauga. The company has successfully deployed one pilot at a compressed natural gas facility in Woodstock, Ont., and recently inked partnership agreements with the California Energy Commission and Toyota Tsusho Corp. in Cambridge, Ont.
As time goes on, he explains, the economic case for cleantech adoption has only become stronger, especially on the heels of the recent advancements in artificial intelligence . The intelligent software provides an opportunity to cut both emissions and costs, he says.