Cleantech in North Vancouver

Overview of the Industry

Based on national and provincial trends, workforce availability, key projects, and assets in the region, Cleantech has one of the strongest business cases for the region of North Vancouver. Note a specific focus on engineering and environmental consulting services, instrument and electronic component manufacturing, as well as software and cloud services. North Vancouver is an active participant in the energy ecosystem, boasting several successful cleantech startups and growth companies who have recently acquired venture capital funding. Companies in the cleantech sector include clean and energy production and transmission, water treatment and management, energy efficiency and resource management use, advanced materials, green agriculture, clean transportation, green building, agrotech, and engineering services. The area’s utility infrastructure also highlights several unique assets that can anchor and foster a wider cleantech cluster such as the district heating service and the newly planned North Shore Treatment Plan (see section: Quick Takeaways). One of the most notable companies in the Cleantech sector is the Lonsdale Energy Corporation (LEC), which provides dependable and clean energy to residential and commercial buildings in the Lonsdale area. LEC uses a combination of high-efficiency natural gas boilers, ground source heat pumps, heat recovery from building cooling, and solar thermal panels to naturally heat water. The hot water is circulated through underground insulated pipes which provides energy for heating and hot water. The water is then re-circulated into the mini-plants and the process starts again.

BROADER LOOK AT B.C.

• With 270 establishments in B.C., the province has developed international expertise in supplying products and services in several key clean technology sectors such as fuel cells, clean transportation, energy management technologies for smart grids, renewable energy, and waste and water treatment technologies that extract nutrients from wastewater to create fertilizers.
• Seven B.C. companies made the 2018 Global Cleantech 100 list.
• Computer systems design and related services have had one of the most significant job growths in the traded sector with a 35% increase over a four-year period (2014-2018).
• B.C. is a strong cleantech player in innovation, policy, and practice.

Quick Takeaways

• Cleantech is growing fast and upgrading existing infrastructure into “smart networks”.
• Worldwide population growth will fuel demand for more energy-efficient technologies.
• North Vancouver is an ideal environment for incubating cleantech startups.
• Canada’s cleantech sector ranks 4th in the world according to the Global Cleantech Innovation Index.
• According to BC Cleantech CEO Alliance, there are 273 cleantech companies as of 2016, up 35% from 2011.
• There was a 20% workforce increase from 2011 to 2016.
• The replacement and upgrade of the primary Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant will service over 250,000 residents in the districts of North and West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. According to MetroVancouver, this project reflects the newest energy conservation and recovery technologies including green-roof rainwater harvesting, maximized recycling during construction, and electricity generated from biogas by-products.

Workforce Availability

• There are over 1,600 employing and non-employing businesses in the region in the energy and construction sector who are potential users of cleantech technologies.
• North Vancouver workforce is currently well represented in cleantech-related engineering occupations.
• The main educational support for the green economy workforce is Capilano University’s School of Global Stewardship, which offers degrees in global sustainability practices.

Opportunities

• Energy: The sector is not only focuses on generation, transmission, distribution, and end use or management of electric power and process heat, but also includes software and service-based businesses; specifically, the businesses dealing with integrating distributed energy sources into existing power systems.
• Resource Management: This includes new advances in waste reduction and recycling technologies and the food production supply chain – i.e. crop optimization and green agriculture.
• Transportation: Smart mobility centres on environmental-friendly modes of transportation such as electric vehicles, shared transportation services, and ondemand smart mobility services. It promotes convenient and safe multimodal travel, accessibility, and efficient use of roads and resources through strong circulation network management. It also includes niche sectors such as advanced traffic management system (ATMS), parking management, and ITS-enabled transportation pricing system. It’s strongly linked to the increasingly prevalent ‘smart city’ initiatives that are gaining traction around the world.
• Buildings: Smart buildings are green, energy efficient and intelligent in that they are equipped with advanced automated infrastructure and usage sensors that control and manage building functions.

SECTOR PLAYERS

1. Bluearth Renewables: A renewable power producer, focused on the acquisition, development, construction, and operation of wind, water, and solar projects in North America.
2. Aurora Solar Technologies: Develops, manufactures and markets in-line measurement and control systems for the photovoltaic industry.
3. Enbala: Provides intelligent software which adapts to changing system conditions in real time. They help retailers increase revenue and customer satisfaction by better managing the escalating complexities of energy assets and market opportunities.
4. Lonsdale Energy Corporation: Provides dependable, clean, and competitively priced energy to residential and commercial buildings in the Lonsdale area since 2003.

Sources:

www.bcbusiness.ca/7-BC-companies-named-to-2018-Global-Cleantech-100

i3connect.com/gct100/the-list bccleantech.com/ northshorewwtp.ca/

www.metrovancouver.org/services/liquid-waste/treatment/treatment-plants/ lions-gate/Pages/default.aspx