Energy Conservation Entrepreneurs Take Home Top Prizes
Energy conservation was the theme of the night at tonight’s New Ventures BC Award Ceremony at the SFU Segal School of Business, where the winners of the 2008 competition were announced. All three top awards went to entrepreneurial ideas focused on energy conservation.
All three top prize winners are located in the Lower Mainland region and were awarded for their innovative and ground-breaking technological ideas.
“It’s always interesting to see which companies our panel awards the top prizes,” says Ernie Love, Chair of BC Ventures Society. “I think the fact that all three winners work within the energy conservation field really speaks to BC’s place on the international map as a leader in sustainability and our entrepreneurs are clearly making a large contribution to that reputation.”
Local Vancouver company Saltworks Technologies took home two prizes – the coveted BC Hydro first place of $60,000 as well as the BC Hydro sustainability award of $20,000. The Enbridge second place award went to West Vancouver’s Small Energy Group while third place went to Squamish-located Echoflex Solutions. All three also received BC Innovation Council Proof-of-Concept awards – dollar amounts below.
About the Winners:
Saltworks Technologies Inc., Vancouver, BC
- BC Hydro First Prize – $60,000 cash & services; $100,000 BC Innovation Council Proof-of-concept Award
- BC Hydro Sustainability Prize – $20,000 cash
Saltworks Technologies Inc. has developed a patent-pending solar process for desalination that offers significant electrical energy savings. The desalination market is estimated to grow by $56 billion over the next seven years and energy efficiency remains its greatest challenge.
Small Energy Group – West Vancouver, BC
- Enbridge Second Prize – $38,000 cash & services; $50,000 BC Innovation Council Proof-of-concept Award
Small Energy Group’s Energy Management Software communicates with a large number of building automation and metering systems to collect, archive, analyze and communicate energy information. The system helps building owners and operators to quickly identify and resolve inefficient energy use, helps occupants learn how their buildings perform and ultimately helps to save money and reduce emissions.
Echoflex Solutions – Squamish, BC
- Third Prize – $17,000 cash & services; $50,000 BC Innovation Council Proof-of-concept Award
Echoflex Solutions has introduced a new technology aimed at providing easy and automated energy conservation options for businesses.The company has developed a line of wireless, self-powered switches and sensors for retrofitting rooms into smart spaces for intelligent building control and energy conse
October 29th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
[...] 2008 New Ventures BC Winner Saltworks Technologies is the subject of an article in the Economist this week Cheaper desalination: Current Thinking. The online and offline piece takes a closer look at Saltworks‘ fresh way to take the salt out of seawater. THERE is a lot of water on Earth, but more than 97% of it is salty and over half of the remainder is frozen at the poles or in glaciers. Meanwhile, around a fifth of the world’s population suffers from a shortage of drinking water and that fraction is expected to grow. One answer is desalination—but it is an expensive answer because it requires a lot of energy. Now, though, a pair of Canadian engineers have come up with an ingenious way of using the heat of the sun to drive the process. Such heat, in many places that have a shortage of fresh water, is one thing that is in abundant supply. [...]