CTC #93 - Adapting with Wildfire Tech

TECH

Adapting with Wildfire Tech

Another wildfire season is underway, and Jasper, Alberta is the latest casualty. Wildfires swept through the park and surrounding communities over the past week, incinerating a third of buildings and covering more than 36,000 hectares. 

Fires are becoming more frequent and more intense as the climate changes. Climate change made the 2023 fires twice as likely. Lightning could increase by 40% in a changing climate, increasing the chances of ignition. 

The cost of fighting wildfires is also increasing, rising an average of $150 million per decade in Canada and exceeding $1 billion for six of the last 10 years. Fire and forestry services around the world are increasingly turning to technology to better predict, respond and adapt to wildfires, creating a fast growing industry around wildfire protection that could grow from ~$8 billion to $20 billion by 2026. 

Prediction: Understanding when and where wildfires are most likely to break out can give fire services and communities a critical edge. It’s an area where AI is having a real-world impact, allowing fire crews to run more simulations on where fires could start and how they might spread. Edmonton AI startup AltaML has worked with Alberta Wildfire to help the agency make decisions and deploy resources strategically.

Detection: The proliferation of low-cost sensors and access to satellite data is opening a new field for wildfire detection. SenseNet deploys sensors on the ground that can detect different gases and use thermal imaging to detect hot spots. Coupled with satellite monitoring, their system has the potential to detect wildfires in minutes instead of hours or days and across a much wider area.

Mitigation: A driver behind the scale of some fires is modern forest management, which can lead to a buildup of dead brush and other potential wildfire fuel. California’s BurnBot uses remotely operated machines to conduct prescribed burns, reducing the amount of fuel and covering far more ground than humans alone. Quebec’s Permalution is aiming creating forest fire mitigation system through fog and rain. Their system can harvest water from fog, increasing irrigation and humidity to mitigate fires.

We need more investment in climate adaptation to mitigate the impacts of a changing climate - adaptation receives less than 10% of climate tech funding globally. Efforts like CICE’s call for Wildfire Tech innovation are a great place to start.

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CLIMATE CAPITAL

☀️ Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, secured a €50 million loan from the European Investment Bank to build out its solar portfolio in Italy. 

MILESTONES & PRODUCT

☀️ Heliene is partnering with fellow solar module maker Premier Energies to build a 1GW solar cell factory in the US. The plant aims to meet US demand for solar cells while qualifying for “American Made” subsidies. There are currently no US suppliers of solar cells, a key component in solar panels. 

📊 Toronto’s Mangrove Systems will provide the carbon system of record for carbon project developer Summit Carbon Solutions. Mangrove’s system supports the digital measurement, monitoring, and verification (dMRV) of Summit’s biomass carbon removal & storage (BiCRS) project in the US.

💧 Loop Energy intends to restructure after it laid off 65% of employees last year and underwent a strategic review. The company cited capital market conditions and subdued stock prices in the hydrogen sector. Loop was listed on the TSX in 2021.

🏦 Aduro Clean Technologies plans to go public on the NYSE American, an exchange for small, growing companies. Aduro is already listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange, OTC Markets and the FSE. The company is developing a process called Hydrochemolytic Technology that can break down low-value feedstocks like plastic waste into recycled materials or low-carbon fuels.

IN THE NEWS

🧪 Sustainable R&D: B.C. is putting up $2M to build out a battery research innovation centre at UBC’s Okanagan campus. The facility aims to tap into the province’s existing battery supply chain and mining expertise. The centre is the latest Canadian research institution focused on batteries, joining Dalhousie, University of Calgary and Waterloo.

📉 Bumpy ride: The energy transition isn’t always up and to the right as we’re seeing with two major project delays. On the EV front, Umicore announced it will delay construction of its $2.76 billion battery component plant in Ontario citing slower than expected demand that is rippling through the supply chain. Meanwhile, Australia’s Fortescue is pausing a $2 billion green hydrogen project in B.C. The company is scaling back production targets to focus on reducing the cost of power. The B.C. project would have required 1,000 MW of power, or 90% of the Site C dam’s generating capacity.

🔥 The battle for home heating: Vancouver city council narrowly voted to overturn restrictions on gas heating in new homes. Proponents argue it will help lower the cost of building new homes. However, the change undermines the province’s 2030 Clean B.C. plan and the city is already falling behind on its climate targets. Burning natural gas (i.e. methane) for space and water heating in buildings accounts for 55% of the carbon emissions generated in Vancouver.

📝 Greenwashing guidance: The Competition Bureau published some early guidance on what it might consider greenwashing while it kicks off consultations on how new rules should be implemented. Bill C-59 updated the Competition Act to stop companies from making assertions about their environmental impact that aren’t defensible, and has been criticized for being too vague. The updated guidance highlighted the need for climate goals to be backed up by clear and specific plans, and not just be aspirational.

BIG PICTURE

• Olympic athletes are turning to high-tech solutions to beat the extreme heat

• Green premiums for decarbonizing industry are within reach

• Double duty: tree bark soaks up atmospheric methane

• Germany plans to build out a national hydrogen network and import strategy

• The White House hears pitch for a space-based sunshade

• Last Sunday was the hottest day in recorded history

• A Chinese nuclear reactor passes the meltdown test

COMMUNITY

💡 Call for Innovation: Wildfire Tech: CICE has launched Canada’s first $3 million call for innovation focused on wildfire prevention, mitigation and adaptation. Apply by August 7th

💻️ dcbel is hiring a Lead UI Designer to build visually captivating and functional designs for new categories of products

Check out the job board for more postings