The Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund

• Address specific British Columbia energy and environmental problems that have been identified by government.

• Showcase B.C. technologies that have a strong potential for international market demand because they solve problems that exist both in BC and other jurisdictions.

• Support pre-commercial energy technology that is new, or commercial technologies not currently used in British Columbia.

• Demonstrate commercial success for new energy technologies.

The pre-commercial energy technologies to be supported through the ICE Fund will focus on technologies beyond the R&D or prototype development phase. The ICE Fund will not support research, prototype development, feasibility studies, business start-up initiatives, product manufacturing or marketing. The ICE Fund is administered by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR), and will receive $25 million from a levy on all final sales of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and grid-delivered propane. The levy was implemented effective September 1, 2007 and is expected to generate approximately $2 million per month.

Closing Date:  4:30 pm Pacific Standard Time – Monday, March 3^rd, 2008

Enquiries
All enquiries related to this Call for Applications are to be directed to:
 
ICE Fund
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
Attention: Claudia Trudeau
Tel. 250-952-0243
Email: Claudia.Trudeau@gov.bc.ca

PROJECT PRIORITIES
The Innovative Clean Energy Fund’s Call for Applications supports pre-commercial energy technology that is new, or commercial technologies not currently used in B.C.

The following three priorities will form the foundation for the upcoming Call for Applications for the ICE Fund:

1. Energy Production: The fund will increase British Columbia’s production of clean or renewable energy.

British Columbia’s robust economy and growing population has increased the demand for energy. The province is now dependent on other jurisdictions for meeting up to 10 per cent of its annual electricity requirements. With a growing awareness of the long-term impacts on the environment from intensive use of traditional fossil fuels, the BC Energy Plan set targets for conservation and clean or renewable energy production.

Priorities for the commercialization of energy production technology include:

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  • Capture and storage of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and thermal electricity generation facilities.

  • Development of technology to convert softwood residues to ethanol for use as low-carbon transportation fuel.

  • Production of clean electricity using forestry and agriculture biomass, municipal wastes and other clean or renewable energy resources.

  • Production of clean electricity, fuels or other value-added products made from biomass from regions with mountain pine beetle infestations.

  • New systems/components that improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of commercial clean or renewable energy projects.

  
  

2. Energy Transmission: The fund will improve the ways energy moves from producers to British Columbia consumers.

An important part of meeting the goal of self sufficiency is ensuring a reliable transmission infrastructure is in place. Investment and innovation are required to maintain and expand existing infrastructure to meet growing domestic and export demands, promote energy security and reliability, and develop new energy resources.

Technology commercialization priorities include:

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  • Improvements to the operating efficiency and cost-effectiveness of electricity transmission and/or distribution systems to increase reliability and power transfer capabilities. Possible technological solutions include: grid design and construction, systems monitoring and optimization, wide-area management

  
  

  systems, advanced metering platforms, protective relays and substation controllers.

  • Improvements to the operating efficiency and cost-effectiveness of petroleum and natural gas pipeline systems by capturing and using waste energy from compressors and pressure let-down stations to produce electricity.

  • Advanced hydrogen production and fuelling technologies to complete the first seven fuelling stations of the BC Hydrogen Highway and fuelling stations that will link the Hydrogen Highway to California.

  
  

3. Energy Use: The fund will improve the ways energy is used in British Columbia’s communities and across all sectors of the provincial economy.

Energy efficiency and conservation technologies are required to maintain the province’s energy security and address rising energy demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.

Technology commercialization priorities include:

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  • Local renewable energy resources or technologies to reduce diesel-electric generation in remote, First Nation or off-grid communities.

  • Advanced heating, lighting and cooling technology, and electricity self-generation for “net-zero energy” residential, commercial and institutional buildings.

  • Reduction in the carbon intensity of commercial and passenger vehicles using low-carbon fuels, advanced engines and emissions control technologies.

  • Intelligent lighting control systems in public buildings and transportation corridors to reduce municipal electricity demand.

  • Electric vehicle technology, including plug-ins, hybrids and fuel cells.

  • Clean or renewable energy technologies (e.g. combined heat and power systems) for use in British Columbia’s commercial and industrial sectors.