Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced support for 55 projects aimed at producing and using energy in a cleaner, more efficient way. Support is being provided through the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative, which was introduced in Budget 2011, and is being led by Natural Resources Canada. Of the 55 projects receiving support, 15 will be pre-commercialisation demonstration projects to test the feasibility of various technologies, and 40 will be research and development projects to address knowledge gaps and bring technologies from the conceptual stage to the ready-to-be-tested stage of development. The projects will be undertaken in seven provinces and two territories and will focus on research in the following areas: energy efficiency; clean electricity and renewables; bioenergy; electrification of transportation; and, unconventional oil and gas. The PM met with representatives of several of the companies receiving funding, including CO2 Solutions and AddÉnergie Technologies, both based in Quebec City. CO2Solutions is receiving funding to support the research and development of an innovative method to more efficiently capture carbon dioxide in the oil sands, and AddÉnergie is receiving support for the development of its electrical vehicle charging infrastructure.
