Six new Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund projects will receive a total of almost $6 million from the Province to support the development of new clean energy technologies. These projects will create jobs and local investment in Vancouver, Delta, Burnaby and Sooke.

Since 2008, 62 projects have had funding approved to develop new energy solutions to real, everyday energy and environmental challenges. This includes solar, tidal, geoexchange, water desalination and an array of technologies that use or convert our vast biomass supplies into more useful forms of green energy.

These six B.C. entrepreneurs, communities and First Nations will invest about $47 million in their projects. With government's support of almost $6 million, this brings the total investment in green innovation to $53 million.

Through the BC Jobs Plan, British Columbia can remain at the forefront of clean energy technology for both domestic use and for export to new markets. B.C. can offer countries like China and India clean, efficient energy and waste reduction. The ICE Fund continues to help B.C. companies maintain a competitive advantage and get their ideas off the drawing board and into production.

Facts:

• These six new ICE projects will bring $53 million in investment and 184 jobs to four B.C. communities.

• The projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 16,112 tonnes per year - the equivalent of taking 3,159 passenger vehicles off of the road.

• Since 2008, the Province has approved more than $77 million for 62 clean energy projects across B.C., representing a value over $450 million in total project costs through the ICE Fund.

• So far, 14 ICE Fund projects are complete and have created 295 construction jobs and 122 ongoing jobs. 16 projects underway are anticipated to create 119 construction jobs and 71 ongoing jobs by project completion.

• Through the ICE Fund, the Province supports a broad range of technological applications, including: ocean tidal and wave, solar, geoexchange, micro-hydro, wind, bioenergy, waste utilization, and energy conservation and management.

Learn More:

To learn more about the ICE Fund, visit: www.icefund.gov.bc.ca

A backgrounder follows.

Contact:

Sandra Steilo
Ministry of Energy and Mines
250 952-0617
250 889-6908 (cell)

BACKGROUNDER

ICE Fund projects

Delta-Q, Burnaby - $1 million. This project will showcase energy usage/storage and the next generation of B.C.-developed charger technology for electric vehicles. Delta Q will test their mobile platform consisting of the key charging, energy storage, control and communications elements that will be used in next-generation, higher-power plug-in electric vehicles.

Earth Renu Energy Corp., Delta - $1 million. This facility will process up to 66,000 tonnes/year of urban organic waste to produce natural gas (biomethane). It will be the first plant in North America capable of separating organic material from contaminated urban organic waste (e.g., food in plastic containers). Carbon dioxide, a by-product of the process, will be supplied to local greenhouses for crop production and carbon neutral biofuel pellets and fuel from refuse will be used in cement kilns.

Quadrogen Power Systems, Delta - $1 million. This project will use landfill gas from the Vancouver Landfill to demonstrate an innovative combined heat, hydrogen, and power system. This ultra-clean power plant system will emit an exhaust rich in carbon dioxide that will be used in greenhouses at the adjacent Village Farms site. The hydrogen will either be sold commercially or used for peak power generation.

S2G Biochemicals Inc., Delta - $1 million. This project will demonstrate the viability of bio-glycols produced from agricultural, forest and biofuels industries feedstock and by-product hydrogen. These green glycols will offer a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to conventional fossil fuel glycols, at a competitive price.

Saltworks Technologies Inc., Vancouver - $977,790. This low-energy plant will be powered by waste-heat and demonstrate desalination of seawater and wastewater treatment, with pure water and salt as the end products.

T'Sou-ke First Nation, Sooke - $1 million. This project will demonstrate new green MicroAir heating and cooling technology for an industrial greenhouse. It will showcase the efficiency of this heating and cooling system which manages climate. The system will enhance crop production and clean water recovery, while reducing particulate emissions and dependency on fossil fuels.

Contact:

Sandra Steilo
Ministry of Energy and Mines
250 952-0617
250 889-6908 (cell)