Clean50’s Clean Tech Nominees for 2024 – Part 5 of 8
This week featuring MyHEAT Inc, Nectar, Next Hydrogen Solutions Inc, Niron Magnetics Inc, Ocean Legacy Foundation, Origen Air Systems Ltd, PhyCo Technologies Inc, pH7 Technologies Inc
Each year the Clean50 Awards attract more worthy nominees than we can possibly include on our list when we release it each fall (this year September 28th), and that’s an incredible shame – because this year we have 60 incredible nominees in the Cleantech and R&D categories alone. It’s great to know that clean tech innovation is alive and well in this country!
But innovation is not enough: Organizations and individual Canadians need to make the conscious choice to support made-in-Canada innovation – and buy Canadian wherever and whenever they can. Because here’s the thing: the incredible sums of money Joe Biden has invested in US based clean tech and the tax advantages he has conferred on clean tech investors means that US based clean tech companies are rich with cash – and they can afford to buy up Canadian competitors, and then take the intellectual property – and the jobs – and the revenues – to the USA. So we’re trying to do our part and show you 60 companies doing amazing stuff – and we hope you’ll do your part – and BUY some of it!
As we go through this process, we’ve been amazed at where some of our clean tech innovation is coming from: It’s not just start ups and university labs. We’re featuring lots of those, for sure – but also a company capturing kelp from the seabed – turning it into compostable plastic, and another recycling abandoned plastic fishing nets into brand new plastic, and a company which has figured out a way to make boats really really slippery. How does that help? you ask… you’ll find out – if you keep reading!
We promise – each of the 8 articles in this series will open your mind to some seriously cool possibilities! Congratulations to all of our nominees!
MyHEAT Inc.
Clean50 Nominee: Darren Jones, CEO
Calgary, AB
What does the product do?
The MyHEAT platform reveals invisible heat loss from buildings using remote aerial sensing and machine learning. The platform shows a heat loss map and comparative heat loss rating, that energy utilities use to engage with customers to improve the impact of energy efficiency programs on peak load requirements driven by heating and cooling.
Peak load is the most expensive energy for utilities, and any disruptions can lead to blackouts. Reducing peak load, benefits both the energy utility company and their customers. Residential weatherization reduces 2200 to 4400 pounds of C02 emissions per year, per household.
Who should buy it?
Our customers are energy utilities, municipal governments, and state sponsored energy efficiency organizations. Any organization that wants to reduce the required energy to heat and cool buildings can use our platform. A map is always a great place to start.
Nectar
Clean50 Nominee: Marc-André Roberge, Founder & CEO
Montreal, QC
What does the product do?
Our proprietary apiary traceability and management platform enables migratory beekeepers, providing the essential pollination services needed to grow a third of our crops, to optimize their operations while maximizing honeybee colony survivorship. Using predictive artificial intelligence models, we help them provide a predictable supply of healthy colonies to crop growers and optimize pollination resources distribution.
Who should buy it?
Migratory beekeepers, providing the essential pollination services needed to grow a third of our crops, such as almonds, apples, and blueberries.
Next Hydrogen Solutions Inc.
Clean50 Nominee: Raveel Afzaal, President & CEO
Mississauga, ON
What does the product do?
Next Hydrogen manufactures water electrolyzers that are purpose built for integration with renewable energy resources to produce green hydrogen at scale. The company has 40 patents on its innovative design which enables a wide operating range and ability to load-follow renewables compared to traditional alkaline water electrolyzers. This translates into lower cost of green hydrogen production. The design has been validated with Canadian Tire, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Hyundai, and Kia.
Who should but it?
Our green hydrogen generators can be used to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors of the economy such as heavy mobility and material handling, ammonia, refinery, green chemicals and steel industries.
Niron Magnetics Inc.
Clean50 Nominee: Tom Grainger, Senior Director, Commercial
Toronto, ON
What does the product do?
Our Clean Earth MagnetsTM are the world’s first powerful permanent magnets 100% free of rare earths and other critical minerals. Made from abundant commodity inputs of iron and nitrogen, Clean Earth Magnets address the supply shortage, geopolitical, and environmental concerns that jeopardize our electric vehicle and clean energy goals.
Who should buy it?
Manufacturers of electric vehicles, loudspeakers, industrial motors, and anything that uses magnets.
Ocean Legacy Foundation
Clean50 Nominee: Chloé Dubois, Co-founder and Executive Director
Richmond, BC
What does the product do?
Our dynamic and integrated systematic process works to end the plastic pollution crisis by combining Education, Policy and Advocacy, Infrastructure Development and Cleanup. These pillars form an acronym called EPIC which found the core of our programming. Our teams and partners have collectively cleaned approximately 2000km of coastline, removing over 3 million pounds of plastic pollution, and diverting more than 2 million pounds of waste away from landfills and marine environments. We clean shorelines, ocean waters, remove derelict vessels and marine infrastructure as well as capture select materials with our unique depot program and process certain resins in-house at our innovative Plastic Pollution Emergency Response recycling facility to produce plastic pellets that can be used to make new durable goods.
Who should buy it?
Our recycled marine plastics have been used in the outdoor and recreation, automotive, urban infrastructure, apparel, and construction sectors.
Origen Air Systems Ltd.
Clean50 Nominee: Susan Blanchet, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Victoria, BC
What does the product do?
“The Pinnacle” biophilic (nature based) air purification system incorporates patent-pending golden pothos ivy plants genetically engineered to express a mammalian liver enzyme, MERV filters, and air quality sensors to provide a multi-barrier approach to air purification. It removes PM 2.5 pollutants and carcinogens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and CO2, while producing oxygen and balancing relative humidity levels. Sensors allow tracking of air quality data to improve energy efficiency and ESG ratings. Origen’s GE plants deliver a >40% reduction in Total VOCs compared to non-GE ivy plants in the field.
Who should buy it?
Commercial real estate asset management, professional offices, institutions, facilities > 8000 ft³.
PhyCo Technologies Inc.
Clean50 Nominee: Ranah Chavoshi, Co-Founder & CEO
Vancouver, BC
What does the product do?
We are a marine biotechnology company focused on seaweed aquaculture in partnership with Indigenous Nations. We utilize farmed seaweed to manufacture compostable and non-toxic plastic specifically for the agriculture and agri-food industry. We are developing a thin-film bio-based plastic that will replace conventional petroleum-based plastic used in the production of food on farms, food packaging, distribution, and grocery retailers.
Who should buy it?
Farmers, food packagers and distributers, grocery retailers.
pH7 Technologies Inc.
Clean50 Nominee: Mohammad Doostmohammadi, Founder & CEO
Vancouver, BC
What does the product do?
Our patent-pending closed-loop process extracts critical metals vital for energy transition, such as platinum, palladium, iridium, copper, nickel, etc., from end-of-life materials, low grades ores, and tailings, which are unextractable using current methodologies and have locked in resources. We are increasing the supply of these metals while reducing energy consumption by 90% and carbon footprint by 95% compared to alternative solutions, such as smelters, with no wastewater or toxic emissions. Our modular process will provide extractive services to mines and OEMs, increasing the extraction capacity of critical metals, enabling the circular economy, and accelerating the energy transition.
Who should buy it?
Mines, catalysts, hydrogen, printed circuit boards OEMs, recyclers, precious metals refineries, oil & gas refineries.
