Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Backs Canadian Carbon Tech Hub with $40M Grant

• $40M grant accelerates carbon removal tech: Breakthrough Energy’s funding supports Deep Sky’s Alberta-based Direct Air Capture (DAC) testing facility.
• Push for scalable carbon removal: The “Alpha” test ground will host eight companies developing DAC technologies for commercial-scale plants.
• Fast-tracked development: Deep Sky is taking a high-risk, parallel development approach to speed up carbon capture solutions.

Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Catalyst has awarded a $40 million grant to Deep Sky, a Canadian startup building a cutting-edge test ground for Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies in Alberta. This initiative aims to address the urgent need to remove billions of metric tons of CO₂ annually, as highlighted by U.N. scientists.

Accelerating Carbon Capture Innovation

Deep Sky’s “Alpha” facility will accommodate eight companies working on DAC technologies, enabling them to fine-tune their solutions before scaling to commercial plants. The first carbon removal operations are set to begin next spring.

Mario Fernandez, head of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, emphasized the challenge and importance of this initiative:

“The overall mission of Catalyst is to drive down the green premium and move these technologies towards profitability. DAC is currently very challenging.”

Canada’s Role in the Transition

The Alberta site also allows for testing in Canada’s cold climate, aligning with the country’s increased goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50% by 2035.

Related Article: Bill Gates’ Climate VC Breakthrough Energy Raises $839M, 2024’s Largest in the Sector

Deep Sky CEO Damien Steel explained their unconventional, fast-paced approach:

“The reason [development steps] are done sequentially is because nobody ever wants to take on any risk. We don’t have the time.”

The Companies Involved

The first seven of the eight participating DAC firms are Airhive, Mission Zero, Skyrenu, Skytree, NEG8 Carbon, Greenlyte, and Phlair.

By pushing the limits of innovation and speeding up deployment, this collaboration aims to tackle one of the toughest challenges in climate tech: scaling carbon removal technologies to meet global demand.

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