Industrial Transformation Challenge │ Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)

The Industrial Transformation Challenge is not limited to any particular focus area or technology; however, ERA is seeking high-quality projects in areas of high strategic interest or where known technology gaps exist.

All projects must include demonstrations of technology in a relevant environment (i.e., no standalone R&D, FEED studies, roadmaps, etc.). Projects may include these precursor elements but must culminate in a technology demonstration. The following list provides a non-exhaustive set of example technologies that ERA believes could represent compelling opportunities in this Call:

• Agricultural and Forestry Innovation
  • Improved nutrient and feed management
  • Novel fertilizers and improved distribution
  • Biological methane emissions management
  • Novel tillage, seeding, and harvesting techniques
  • Advanced genetics and omics for crops and livestock
  • Novel alternative proteins
  • Land use management practices
  • Value-added products from forest residues
• Energy systems solutions and grid innovation
  • Grid edge solutions (e.g., smart distribution and distributed intelligence platforms, predictive remote asset management, etc.)
  • Next-generation energy storage (e.g., solid state batteries, long-duration storage, etc.)
  • Novel approaches for grid services and reliability, including supercapacitors, flywheels, voltage management, and similar
  • Hydrogen-based grid technologies, including gas turbine conversion, fuel cells, etc.
  • Transmission and distribution infrastructure enhancements, including dynamic line rating, reconductoring, and non-wires alternatives.
• Novel fuel production methods
  • Third- and fourth-generation biofuels, including bioenergy with carbon capture
  • Power-to-X
  • Low-carbon intensity biogenic/synthetic fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel, ammonia, methanol, etc.
• Fuel switching and low-carbon heat at industrial facilities
  • Electric boilers and industrial heat pumps
  • On-site deployment of geothermal, solar thermal, clean hydrogen, nuclear, bioenergy, etc.
  • On-site deployment of energy storage, including thermal energy storage
  • Process electrification (e.g, heating, separation/purification, etc.)
• Novel processes and products
  • New chemistries for cement (incl. novel clinker substitutes), fertilizer, plastics, etc.
  • Novel oil and gas processing and refining
• Clean feedstocks (hydrogen, biogenic, etc.) for manufacturing
  • Novel refrigeration technologies and refrigerant substitutes
  • Novel bitumen extraction and processing technologies
  • Non-thermal processing
  • Reduction/elimination of methane emissions (fugitive, vented, diffuse, etc.)
  • Solutions for high global warming potential gases, including climate-friendly refrigerants and fluorinated-gas reduction/substitution
• Environmental remediation and sustainability
  • Novel solutions for soil remediation and land reclamation
  • Novel solutions for water treatment and/or reduced water withdrawals
  • Novel solutions for mitigating or eliminating air pollutants (incl. NOx, SOx, Ozone, Volatile Organic Compounds, etc.)
• Major industrial facility upgrades in support of emissions reductions