Invest Vancouver / Key Industries / Cleantech

Cleantech

Decades of experience as a leader in green innovation

Here, "clean" isn’t just a buzzword, and sustainability isn’t an afterthought — it’s at the core of how we innovate, build, and do business. From cutting-edge clean transportation to breakthrough renewable energy innovations, the Metro Vancouver region is a powerhouse of solution-driven companies tackling the world’s biggest challenges.

Well-established and expanding every day, the Metro Vancouver region’s cleantech industry is truly world-class. Our region is shaping a future where economic growth and sustainability go hand in hand, creating a cleaner, smarter, and more resilient world for generations to come.

As the heart of British Columbia’s thriving cleantech ecosystem, the region is home to a dense concentration of innovators driving breakthroughs across verticals.

492

pure-play cleantech companies in BC, with over 70% headquartered in the Metro Vancouver region

60%

of Canada’s total research investment in hydrogen and fuel cell development comes from BC

1st

province in Canada to implement a hydrogen strategy

Clean and innovative solutions from firms in the Metro Vancouver region aren’t limited by application or opportunity. Areas of specialization in the region’s cleantech industry include:

Energy and Power (including hydrogen fuel cells): Ballard, HTEC, General Fusion, Miru
Materials and Chemicals: Carbon Engineering, Nano One, Ionomr Innovations, Svante
Waste and Recycling: Viridis Research, Axine Water Technologies, Nexterra, Anaconda Systems
Resources and Environmental Management: Saltworks, CO2Lock, Ideon Technologies, MineSense

Whenever we secure funding from agencies, we commit to staying within the province, ensuring our continued contribution to the local economy and innovation landscape.

Patrick Steiche, Director of Innovation, Hydra Energy

Whether they’re fostering global partnerships or developing next-gen technologies, the Metro Vancouver region is home to a world-class network of multidisciplinary research and innovation centres.

Research and innovation centres

BC Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE): An independent, not-for-profit incubator for the research and commercialization of clean energy solutions
Canadian Hydrogen Association (CHA): A non-profit organization that fosters collaboration between industry, government, and academia, providing advocacy, research, and networking opportunities.
Clean Energy Research Centre (UBC): Multidisciplinary research hub that focuses on research, training, development, and demonstrations to address climate change and sustainability.
MITACS: A non-profit national research organization that connects firms with researchers and talent, offers financial support and expert guidance to help organizations in their innovation projects.
SFU Clean Hydrogen Hub: A research and innovation centre focused on development and commercialization of hydrogen solutions.
BC Research Inc.: An innovation centre specializing in the incubation and commercialization of novel technologies.
Smart Hydrogen Energy District (SHED): A UBC research facility integrating solar, hydro and hydrogen energy into a unified micro-grid.

Support programs and incentives

Support exists at both the provincial and federal levels for innovation that helps create a cleaner future.

Provincial

BC Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS): Provides financial incentives for low-carbon fuel use based on measurable greenhouse gas reductions.
BC Hydrogen Strategy: Highlights 63 actions to pave the way for BC to be a world leader in the hydrogen economy by 2050, accelerating the production and use of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen.
Clean Energy and Major Projects Office: Serves as BC’s one-stop shop for hydrogen, streamlining the regulatory process and providing guidance for clean energy initiatives.
Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund: Provides support the Province's energy, economic, environmental, and greenhouse gas reduction priorities. ICE has committed over $114 million since 2008 and continues to support projects that advance BC’s clean energy sector. In Spring 2024, it launched a 3-year, $12.3 million call for clean energy innovation.

Provincial and federal

Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED): Provides tax incentives to businesses to conduct R&D in BC and Canada that advances technological or scientific knowledge.

Federal

Clean Hydrogen Investment Tax Credit: A refundable tax credit of up to 40 per cent of investments in projects that produce hydrogen. The tax credit will be available for investments from 2023 to 2034.
Canada Growth Fund (CGF): A $15 billion public fund dedicated to advancing Canada’s shift to a low-carbon economy and accelerate the deployment of clean technologies.
Canadian Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR): A national clean fuel program that provides credits for using low-carbon fuels, advancing innovation, and fostering investment in clean energy.
Clean Fuels Fund: A $1.5 billion fund to de-risk capital investment required to build new or expand existing clean fuel production facility, including facility conversions. The funding program accepts application per intake and the Federal Budget 2024 announced its extension to March 2030.

Ready to connect?

Contact Megan Henwood, Sector Development Lead, Cleantech

Invest Vancouver acknowledges that the region’s residents live, work, and learn on the shared territories of many Indigenous Peoples, including 10 local First Nations: q̓ic̓əy̓(Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), máthxwi (Matsqui), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), Semiahmoo, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), scəw̓aθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh).

Invest Vancouver respects the diverse and distinct histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, which collectively enrich our lives and the region.

View Metro Vancouver's translated territorial acknowledgment

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