Canada awards USD 4.8m for solar research

Jun 24, 2014 - The government of Canada will provide CAD 5.1 million (USD 4.8m/EUR 3.5m) in financing to Ontario firms Ubiquity Solar and Morgan Solar for research and development (R&D) projects in the solar field.

More specifically, Morgan Solar will get over CAD 2 million for its photovoltaic (PV) panel technology, while Ubiquity Solar will receive CAD 3.1 million for its solar power technology, the government’s Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) foundation said on Monday.

Ubiquity Solar is leading a consortium that will focus on the use monocrystalline silicon to make PV modules which are more efficient, less susceptible to light-induced degradation and have longer life. “This technology will further improve the economics of solar energy, increasing the profits of component manufacturers and expanding the environmental benefits of PV,” the firm explained.

Meanwhile Morgan Solar, again in a consortium, will develop a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) panel that is more efficient as compared with conventional silicon solar panels and is cheaper to make as it will consist of a smaller number of parts. It will be initially designed for utility-scale projects.

Including the funding for Ubiquity Solar and Morgan Solar, SDTC will award almost CAD 10 million for five projects in Ontario that support R&D and demonstration of innovative clean technologies. Among the projects are GreenMantra Technologies’ scheme for plastics recycling and Electro Kinetic Solutions' project for tailing ponds remediation. Cleeve Technology will get financing for its de-coating technology for aircraft maintenance.

Global clean technology demand is expected to increase to CAD 2.5 trillion by 2022 from CAD 1.1 trillion in 2012, while demand for energy is projected to rise by about one third in the next 25 years, SDTC noted.

(CAD 1.0 = USD 0.933/EUR 0.686)

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