A large, growing cluster of British Columbian cleantech companies are bringing unique solutions to the market and claiming their piece of the pie.
Meet Hydrogen Technology and Energy Corporation (HTEC), Acuva Technologies, Quadrogen Power Systems, and BumperNow. These four dynamic companies are tackling key environmental issues related to hydrogen fuelling for electric vehicles, clean drinking water, converting waste gas into clean energy, and re-purposing automotive plastic waste.
Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) makes strategic investments in projects that accelerate the growth of firms, lead to the adoption of innovative technologies, and boost competitiveness in domestic and global markets. To grow Western Canada’s cleantech ecosystem, WD invested a total of $5.37 million to support HTEC , Acuva Technologies, Quadrogen Power Systems, and BumperNow.
Four B.C. cleantech innovators envisage a cleaner, greener future (length 2:37)
Transcript: Four B.C. cleantech innovators envisage a cleaner, greener future
[music]
(Text on screen: Scenes in this video were produced prior to COVID-19 health restrictions.)
(Text on screen: Colin Armstrong, Chief Executive Officer of HTEC )
(Shot of and voiceover of Colin Armstrong at the Globe Cleantech conference)
I’m Colin Armstrong, president and CEO of HTEC , which is Hydrogen Technology and Energy Corporation. We provide hydrogen fueling infrastructure to allow zero emission vehicles to be on the roads in Canada.
(On screen: Manoj Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Acuva Technologiesat the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Text on screen: Manoj Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Acuva Technologies)
(Voiceover of Manoj Singh)
I’m Manoj Singh, chief executive officer of Acuva Technologies. Our company is developing an ultraviolet LED based water purification system.
(On screen: Nelson Chan at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Text on screen: Nelson Chan, Vice President Quadrogen Power Systems)
(Voiceover of Nelson Chan)
We are Quadrogen Power Systems. We’re a manufacturing gas clean up and upgrade systems. We take biogas, whether it’s from landfills or Waste Watcher plants or agriculture digesters and we make them into renewable power, products and energies.
(On screen: Al Boflo, Founder of of BumperNow and Reclaim Plastic Welding and Reclaim Plastics)
(Text on screen: Al Boflo, Founder of of BumperNow and Reclaim Plastic Welding and Reclaim Plastics )
(Voiceover of Al Boflo)
My name is Al Boflo, I’m one of the founders and owners of BumperNow and Reclaim Plastic Welding and Reclaim Plastics. The area that our business started in was automotive plastics. Where we fit in is actually is either repurposing that plastic waste or processing and recycling that for new products.
(On screen: Colin Armstrong at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Colin Armstrong)
Western Economic Diversification has been great. We put the first hydrogen fuel station in Canada and they were a supporter of that. The second program was actually helping on the transportation or distribution of hydrogen to the station.
(On screen: Nelson Chan at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Nelson Chan)
WD ’s help and funds has allowed us to do these projects, such as the one we do behind me called Hex Generation. So we take landfill gas from Delta landfill in Vancouver and we make it into these energies and products.
(On screen: Manoj Singh at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Manoj Singh)
The funding from Western Economic Diversification couldn’t have been at a better time for Acuva. We actually utilized that funding to not only hire a lot of technical talent, but also in sales and marketing and expanding our manufacturing capacity to expand to over 20 countries.
(On screen: Al Boflo at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Al Boflo)
The funding that we have received from WD is helping to accelerate our plans and give us the boost we need to take the initial risk to make the capital investment into these new processes.
(On screen: Colin Armstrong at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Colin Armstrong)
The way we’re helping the sustainable movement is really allowing hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to be on the roads. They need the fueling stations to be in place so people can drive up to the pumps and fill up.
(On screen: Manoj Singh at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Manoj Singh)
This technology that our company is developing is the most effective and affordable in solving the access to clean drinking water issue globally.
(On screen: Nelson Chan at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Nelson Chan)
So, basically methane, for example, is 20 times more potent as green house gas emission than carbon dioxide. We take the carbon dioxide and of course the methane and we make it into renewable energy and products.
(On screen: Al Boflo at the Globe Cleantech conference)
(Voiceover of Al Boflo)
What we’re doing to accelerate the clean economy is actually providing a solution around how businesses can deal with their plastic waste. We started out with automotive plastic waste, but we’re getting into other aspects, other forms of plastic waste that businesses produce. There’s a lot of areas for improvement and we’re trying to be part of the solution.
(Text on screen: Western Economic Diversification Canada wordmark)
(Canada Wordmark)
[Music stops]