ATCO explores heating homes with hydrogen to reduce emissions
Heating your home or business with hydrogen is on the horizon. In a first-of-its-kind project for Alberta, ATCO Gas is conducting a pilot project in Fort Saskatchewan to test a cost-effective way to keep customers comfortable in the winter months with a lower-carbon energy supply. Their $7.9 million pilot plant is based on a simple…
Innovative project refines low-grade oil and hatches “Big Ugly Battery”
While Enlighten Innovations was developing a cost-effective, low-sulphur marine fuel to address new, tighter, international shipping regulations, they stumbled on a way to produce and store a near-zero emissions energy source. Funded in part by $10 million from ERA’s Oil Sands Innovation Challenge, Enlighten’s Clean Seas Project partially upgrades heavy oil into low-sulphur marine fuel.…
Modern Wellbore’s technology helps drill wells more economically and environmentally efficiently
Modern Wellbore Solutions has developed the world’s first Multilateral Junction Tool Assembly and process to allow oil and natural gas companies to drill, complete, and operate multilateral wells in unconventional assets. The technology can be applied to new and existing wellbores, and results in more efficient drainage of reservoirs, reduced environmental impacts, and curtailed capital…
New solar project helps supply power to Enbridge pipelines
With 320 days of sunshine a year, Alberta is one of the sunniest provinces in the country with about half of its daytime hours in the sun. To harness this energy source, Enbridge recently installed 36,000 solar panels to build a its first solar generation facility in Canada, approximately four kilometers west of the hamlet…
Gazoduq aims to cut pipeline emissions with new technology
Adopting new electrification, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the pipeline transportation of Alberta’s natural gas. If proven successful, these technologies can help deliver more sustainable natural gas transmission infrastructure in Canada and around the world, leading to significant GHG reductions and substantial economic benefits for midstream…
Quantiam bolsters business model to support technology
Making the leap from research and development to commercialization is no small feat. Innovators face several challenges that hinder technology advancement and adoption by industry. To help commercialize promising projects, ERA’s new Innovator Support Pilot (ISP) identified five previous proposals that showed technological promise but did not qualify for funding due to business-related challenges or…
In Situ Oil Sands Investments Are Creating Alberta’s Energy Future
Three ERA-funded in situ technologies developed and deployed in Alberta are making a major impact on the energy industry’s environmental performance and economic output. These innovations, some decades in the making, are drastically cutting water use and GHG emissions, while improving operational costs. Experts from Imperial Oil, ConocoPhillips, and MEG Energy were joined by the…
ATCO project blends hydrogen with natural gas to reduce emissions
A first-of-its-kind project for Alberta is poised to be Canada’s largest hydrogen blending project, a big step toward decarbonizing the production of heat. ATCO is moving forward with a project that will blend hydrogen into a subsection of its Fort Saskatchewan natural gas distribution system to lower the amount of carbon intensity. The project will…
New peatland study outlines ways to protect valuable carbon sinks
Peatlands are the largest natural carbon sinks on Earth. When damaged by development they become a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A new project supported by ERA quantifies what impacts roads and pipelines have on carbon and GHG emissions in these sensitive regions and proposes new techniques and better construction practices to preserve…
DarkVision goes downhole to improve integrity and performance of wells
Defects in well casings, connections, and other downhole components can lead to significant business and environmental impacts for oil and gas operators. This includes everything from methane leaks to integrity problems and production issues. DarkVision Technologies is looking to help operators save costs and reduce emissions by introducing ultrasonic imaging technology, that builds on advancements…
