The federal government will distribute up to $600 million to 60 cutting edge Canadian companies in the clean fuels space, which include hydrogen, renewable natural gas, and renewable aviation.
The first part of funding from the federal government's clean fuels fund has been distributed.
There was an issue with signing you up. Try again.
By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
The government said it is still in the process of negotiations with some companies, but no details were released. The money will be given to companies in seven provinces and territories.
The announcement shows that the federal government is interested in reducing Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. The federal government has consistently maintained that clean fuels will be needed for certain sectors, such as heavy industry, that currently use diesel and may be hard to decarbonize.
In a net-zero world, clean fuels are an important part of the clean technology mix. Clean fuels will be important in many areas going forward.
He said his department would give $9 million to six organizations that would build hydrogen and natural gas stations.
Although the clean fuel funds would be directed towards research and development in five different fuel types, the vast majority of the discussion on Monday revolved around hydrogen: He drives a hydrogen-powered car, previously worked in the hydrogen sector.
Hydrogen can be used as a fuel and releases no emissions at the point of use, and for that reason has been eyed as a potential alternative fuel for heavy duty trucks and buses, trains and ships.
The high cost of producing clean hydrogen, questions about how to safely transport it, inefficiencies in storage and production, and the lack of fueling infrastructure have prevented the adoption of hydrogen as an alternative energy or as a fuel.
With NRCAN announcing on Monday and the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act providing production tax credits of up to US$3 per kilogram, there may be a shift towards hydrogen.
The federal government announced last week that it would invest $300 million for a clean hydrogen facility that Air Products plans to build. Natural gas will be used to produce hydrogen, but carbon capture will be installed to capture 95 percent of the emissions.
Canada is a top 10 hydrogen producer according to the federal government.
The strategy states that hydrogen is essential to decarbonizing the top third of Canada's most energy intensive and hard to abate end use applications.
Heavy duty trucks and buses could switch from diesel to hydrogen. As the transition away from fossil fuels progresses, hydrogen could be exported from Canada.
Germany and the Netherlands are interested in purchasing hydrogen from Canada.
Much of the hydrogen produced in Canada, and indeed around the world, is made from fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gases into the air.
Environmentalists look skeptical at hydrogen as a potential climate solution due to the fact that building out infrastructure such as charging stations and distribution channels will require a lot of capital expenditures.
He thinks using natural gas to produce hydrogen is an important way to reduce emissions.
He said that you have to be very careful about how you address natural gas. Carbon capture and sequestration is an option if you think of natural gas as a source of hydrogen. There are other technologies that are being looked at.
While battery- powered electric vehicles can be plugged into the grid to charge, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles need to find a supply of hydrogen.
The company has built charging stations in B.C., Quebec and California, but is still working on the technology, according to the company's president.
How do we train the technicians to operate in the middle of the night when the weather is bad? If the temperatures aren't quite right, the nozzles freeze onto the cars, so we have to have come up with safe ways. Everything has to be looked at in a different light.
The mood was triumphant on Monday despite the setbacks, as the federal governments in Canada and the US invested billions of dollars into hydrogen.
FortisBC wants to build a multi- fuel station that will service vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, hydrogen or batteries alone.
The development of a hydrogen production industry will be important to decarbonize our gas system and to meet its climate action goals. We are excited to be a part of this new direction.
The email is gfriedman@postmedia.
You can get more information about this story in the newsletter.
Is there a way to tell if it's a good thing or a bad thing?
All Rights Reserved © 2024
