Top 15 Canadian Renewable Energy Companies

Canada is one of the leading countries in the production and innovation of renewable energy worldwide, and there are many Canadian renewable energy companies that have made it possible.

Renewable energy technologies provide about 17.3% of Canada’s total primary energy supply while accounting for 67% of total electricity production(2019). Canadian renewable energy comes mostly from hydroelectricity, wind power, and solar power, with Canada being the 2nd largest producer of hydroelectric globally while also being the 8th largest producer of wind power (2016).

Political leaders in Canada are determined to increase the percentage of Canada’s electricity generated by renewable methods and have created better policies at the national, provincial, and local levels to facilitate renewable energy companies.

Today, let us dive into the Canadian renewable energy companies which have made Canada a leader in renewable energies. These companies are active in sectors such as wind, solar, hydroelectricity as well as in biogas, biofuels, and more.

They are innovators who are constantly perfecting technologies and processes to increase the effectiveness of productions. Other green energy companies focus on providing environmental services, while also helping other companies reduce their carbon footprint.

What are the major sources of renewable energy in Canada?

The major sources of renewable energy in Canada include Hydroelectricity, BioFuel, and Wind.

Canada is the 3rd largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world, contributing to 9% of the world’s hydroelectricity generation while hydroelectricity contributes to 67.6% of Canada’s electricity generation.

Biomass is another major resource of renewable energy in Canada which is mostly derived from wood and used for electricity, industrial and residential purposes.

Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy in the world and in Canada, contributing to 5.1% of electricity generation in Canada. Also, Canada is the world’s 8th largest producer of electricity from wind energy.

Other sources of renewable energy in Canada include Ethanol, Solar, Municipal Waste, Biodiesel, Thermal, and Tidal.

Source: NRCAN

List of Canadian Renewable Energy Companies

1) IOGEN Corporation

IOGEN corporation is a leading renewable energy company of Canada that innovates, designs, develops, deploys, and scales up processes for making cellulosic biofuels as a sustainable solution for transportation fuel. They are a leader in biofuel and help their partners deliver the most efficient, reliable, and cost-effective systems for making low emission, renewable advanced biofuel.

With over 35 years of experience and nearly $500 million in research, development, and demonstration, they have over 300 issued and pending patents. They have exciting possibilities and competitive rewards for full-time employees as well as for students in the fields of biochemistry, chemistry, and engineering.

Founded: 1975 A.D
Headquarter: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Number of employees: 63
Sector: Biomass, Bioenergy, and Biofuels
Significant Feats: First company to successfully use modern “enzymatic hydrolysis” technology to produce commercial quantities of cellulosic ethanol in 2004
Website: https://www.iogen.ca/

2) Renewable Energy Group

Started as a division of West Central Cooperative in Ralston, Iowa, is now one of the largest producers of biodiesel in North America and globally. An independent company since 2006, the renewable energy group aims to fuel forward by delivering cleaner fuels to meet growing global demand.

They have an extensive network of production facilities, distribution facilities, fuel services, and retail facilities that allow them to deliver the highest quality clean fuels that can be used for transportation, heating, power generation & industrial usages.

Founded: 2006 (1996)
Headquarters: Ames, Iowa, United States
Number of Employees: 727
Sector: Biodiesel
Significant Feats: Fortune 1000 Corporation, 20.0 million metric tons greenhouse gas emissions reductions*
Website: https://www.regi.com/

3) Pond Technologies

Pond Technologies is a cleantech Canadian renewable energy company that is on a mission to make the world a better place by combining technology with the power of nature to tackle climate change and food insecurity. They design and operate scalable bioreactors that use industrial greenhouses gases, while also specializing in growing systems to cultivate algae and other valuable biomass.

They use the power of lighting, artificial intelligence, and fully contained vessels for their superior algae harvesting platform. The company operates in three main segments: Nutraceutical products, Technology services, and fuel production.

Founded: May 27, 2008
Headquarters: Markham, Ontario
Sector: Biomass, Bioenergy, and Biofuels
Specialties: Cleantech, nutraceutical, biofuel production
Notable Feats: The first platform to use unfiltered emissions straight from industrial smokestacks
Website: http://www.pondtech.com

4) Bio-EnPower Inc

Another renewable energy company in Canada that is leading in what it does is Bio-En Power Inc. They develop, build, and operate large-scale anaerobic digestion facilities that convert organic wastes into renewable green energy.

Bio-En Power Inc solves the problem of odor in traditional compost facilities while maximizing green energy production, with minimal costs of operations. Their facilities are reliable and process large waste tonnages every day. They not only build the best digesters available in the North American market but also have European Certified operators that can get the most renewable energy for other facilities.

Bio-En Power INc has partnerships with companies such as Agrinz Technologies(Austria), Green Projects(Nicaragua), Cornerstone Renewables(Canada - Cooperative) to optimize their technology, collection, and distribution network.

Headquarters: Elmira, Ontario
Founded: 2005
Sector: Biomass, Bioenergy, and Biofuels
Notable Feats: commissioned 345,000 tonnes of waste processing technology
Specialties: solid waste management, liquid waste management, renewable energy production
Website: http://www.bio-enpower.com/

5) Ag-west Bio

Ag-West Bio is not just a renewable energy company in Canada but a bioscience industry association and bio-economy catalysts that have helped bio companies launch their idea, market it and grow for the last 3 decades. They are a not-for-profit organization that requires membership. Their members include private companies, research institutions, economic and commodity groups, representing sectors like biotechnology, bioproducts, & biofuel, health, nutrition, environment, etc.

Funded by the national-level organizations, they help entrepreneurs create sound business plans, give them directions, along with mentorship programs(in collaborations). They also provide commercialization funds ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 for early-stage companies and established companies to expand their business.

Founded: 1989
Headquarters: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Sector: Biomass, Bioenergy, and Biofuels
Notable Feats: provides funding $50,000 to $300,000 for eligible candidates
Specialties: supporting business, creating connections, building community, and developing opportunities
Website: https://www.agwest.sk.ca/

6) AirScience Technologies Inc. (Biogas)

AirScience Technologies is a North American based renewable energy company that designs and builds Biogas Upgrading Systems and Equipment for biodigesters and landfill gas applications. Started as designers and builders for air pollution control systems, now specializes mostly in the biogas industry.

Beyond the Biogas purification & upgrading technologies, AirScience technology also specializes in Coke Oven Gas Purification and Valorization, Pyrolysis Gas Purification. Biogas and Landfill Gas Flares for biogas incinerations, and Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers for other gases.

AirScience technologies have enabled power generation from previously flared landfills and biodigesters, produce Pipeline CNG and Transportation CNG, while recently evolving at productions of LNG. They have a worldwide approach and currently has installations in the USA, Canda, Mexico, and India with affiliates in the Middle East and representations in South America

Founded: 1993
Headquarters: Montreal, Quebec
Sector: Biomass, Bioenergy, and Biofuels
Specialties: PSA gas separators, Steam reformers, catalytic reactors, and wet and dry gas desulfurization systems
Website: http://www.airscience.net

7) Nulife Green Tech

A renewable energy company in Canada, NULIFE is a startup that promotes breakthrough hydrodeoxygenation catalysts that accelerates renewable fuel production by an estimated 2-5% with no capital investment.

Understanding the increasing demands for global renewable fuel demand in the fight against climate change helps remove impurities for renewable fuel inputs without any infrastructure change or capital investment, simply by replacing one of the existing catalysts already used in commercial hydrotreater units.

The NULIFE Proprietary Catalyst has over 60% deoxygenation rate, compared to the 20-25% rate given by the currently used commercial catalyst. NULIFE aims to help renewable diesel & jet fuel producers as well as refineries by reducing the bottleneck and increasing fuel production.

NULIFE GreenTech is currently working to commercialize a landfill diversion for the GHG reduction project. This technology utilizes heat and pressure in a continuous process to transform carbonaceous material into bio-crude oil.

Founded: 2016
Headquarters: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Notable Feats: Patent Pending hydrodeoxygenation catalysts
Sector: Biomass, Bioenergy, and Biofuels
Specialties: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Website: https://nulifegreentech.com/

8) Innergex/Alterra Power

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2020, Innergex Inc is a Canadian renewable energy company that has developed and operated hydroelectric, wind, and solar facilities around the world. Innergex is a leading independent renewable power producer that has a sustainable business model that focuses on social acceptability, respect of the environment, and corporate profitability.

The company produces and sells electricity from its hydroelectric facilities, wind farms, and solar farms to publicly owned entities. Meanwhile, their site development and management segment help develop energy production facilities to the operational stage and manage them. They currently operate 75operating facilities across Canada, United States, France, and Chile with prospective projects that aim to double their net installed capacity.

Founded: 1990
Headquarters: Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
Notable Feats: Gross installed capacity of 3,694 Mw of renewable energy enough to power 850,359 households.
Sectors: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Website: https://www.innergex.com/

9) Bullfrog Power

A leading Canadian green energy company, Bullfrog Power has three main renewable energy products - green electricity, green natural gas, and green fuel. Bullfrog power helps its customers reduce their environmental impact and support the development of new green energy projects across Canada. However, Bullfrog Power does not produce the electricity by itself but rather ensures that the electricity, natural gas, or green fuel their customer uses are from clean and green sources.

The bullfrog community has helped displaced 1 million+ tonnes of CO2 and also can help businesses leverage reputational benefits for a commitment to renewable energy. Moreover, they also offer employee programming that is designed to increases awareness of sustainable commitment while involving the employee in the process.

Founded: 2005
Headquarters: Toronto, ON
Specialties: renewable energy, green power, emissions-free electricity, green electricity, corporate social responsibility, green natural gas
Sector: Biomass, Bioenergy, and Biofuels
Notable Feats: 5 million MWh of green electricity on the grid, 12 Million GJ of Green natural gas on the pipeline, and 1.7 million liters of green fuel onto the Canadian fuel system
Website: https://www.bullfrogpower.com/

10) 3G Energy

Founded in 2001, 3G energy is one of the green companies in Canada that creates renewable energy projects in the full life cycle from idea to finance, construction, and operation. They specialize in using wind and solar technologies and are active in delivering service to commercial, industrial and institutional clients in Canada as well as First nations clients.

They have strategic partnerships with TOTAL EREN, Elemental Energy, Northland power, OneWind, CanadianSoslar, TotalEREn, VISTA CREDIT, which allows them to bridge the gaps in technology, finance, raw materials, market.

Founded: 2001
Headquarters: Ottawa, Ontario
Sectors: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Website: http://3g-energy.com/

11) Solar Solutions

Solar solutions inc is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of renewable energy systems with thousands of projects around the world. Beyond that, they also create energy conservation devices that help minimize the total project capital costs and maximize technological and system efficiencies. They have a full-service approach to projects which ensure the clients receive the maximum benefits from their systems through system design, product selection, and performance optimization.

Solar solutions have a glorious history that has shaped the way we integrate solar energy into our world.

Their services include grid-tie systems that are clean and simple providing solar power for homes, grid-tie systems with backup, as well as creating off-grid, standalone systems.

Moreover, they provide solutions for commercial, industrial, and sustainable buildings.

Founded: 2001
Headquarters: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Sectors: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Notable Feats: the worlds’ first led street crossing signal, Canada’s largest exported solar water pumping project, and global award-winning BIPV projects
Website: http://www.solarsolutions.ca/

12) Nova Sun Power

What began as a desire of an individual to lower his energy cost, Nova Sun Power is one of the top Canadain renewable energy companies today. They specialize in producing solar power, using solar heating systems, creating heat pumps, and installing micro or small wind turbines.

Nova Sun Power is dedicated to providing reliable energy cost savings for your home, while also leveraging the power of Solar for agriculture while providing consultation and services to make businesses green. They are concerned about making an impact on the community and hope to make alternative energy reliable and an effective solution for all who choose green power.

Their products & systems included Grid-tied Photovoltaic, photovoltaic micro-inverter, photovoltaic grid with PV Battery, Photovoltaic off-grid, wind turbines, solar heating for Air & Water.

Founded: 1996
Headquarters: Pictou, Nova Scotia
Sectors: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Notable Feats: Best for the Environment honoree at the global B corp 2015
Website: http://novasunpower.com/index.php

13) Solar Earth Technologies

A technology-driven company with a mission to develop, produce, and market and noval solar solutions, Solar Earth Technologies is a Canadain renewable energy company that believes in innovation for tomorrow’s sustainable infrastructure.

Solar EarthTechnologies specialize in developing critical materials, modules, and processes for solar roads. They have paved driveways, walkways, parkways, bike paths, and highways with photovoltaic materials, helping transform road surfaces as a dependent, accessible, and affordable solution for clean electricity.

In their pursuit to make solar common in other systems than just home, they have developed several panel solutions such as panels that can be glued to a concrete or asphalt substrate, panels that can be installed on top of existing infrastructure, hybrid panels for thermal and electrical energy, panels for walkaways or patios including ice melting technologies, as well as creating panels systems that are integrated with electric vehicle charging technology.

Founded: 2015
Headquarters: Vancouver, British Columbia
Sectors: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Notable Feats: Top 100 at the 2020 SET Awards, China’s first 3 in 1 electric road, Canada’s first solar road, China’s first solar road
Website: http://solarearth.ca/

14) Canadian Solar

A publicly traded company, Canadian Solar Inc is a Canadian renewable energy company that manufactures solar PV modules and runs large-scale solar projects, worldwide. Currently, they are active in more than 160 countries with subsidiaries in over 24 countries on 6 continents.

They have over 1500 patents granted and have made a world record of 22.8% conversion efficiency for p-type P5 cells and 23.81% record efficiency of the multi-crystalline cells. They are also the pioneers of half-cut cell modules, bifacial modules, multi busbar, and 166mm wafers.

Their products and solutions include modules, inverters, and system kits, designed for maximum efficiency and production. These are applicable for utility, commercial purposes, or residential purposes.

Founded: 2001
Headquarters: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Specialties: Photovoltaic modules, photovoltaic systems, solar projects, PV applications, bankability, solar farms, etc.
Sectors: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Notable Feats: 46 GW solar modules shipped, subsidiaries in 24 countries & regions on 6 continents, active buying customer in more than 160 countries
Number of employees: 13,478
Website: https://www.canadiansolar.com/

15) Blue Earth Renewables

Named one of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2020, BluEarth renewables are dedicated to delivering renewable energy to the power grid every day. One of the best renewable companies in Canada, they develop, build, own, and operate wind, hydro and solar facilities across North America.

They believe in leaving a legacy and making a difference in the communities and have 3 main priority areas - environment, community building, and education. With decades of experience across the project life-cycle - from acquisitions to development, regulatory, financing, engineering, and construction through to operations and maintenance, they have a dream team.

Founded: 2010
Headquarters: Calgary, Alberta
Sectors: Hydro, Solar & Wind
Notable Feats: 444 MW of capacity in operation with over 2GW under development
Website: https://bluearthrenewables.com/

How much of Canada's energy is produced by renewable energy companies in Canada?

The renewable energy companies in Canada have helped make Canada a global leader in renewable energy production.

The amount of hydro capacity has been increasing slowly since 2006, reaching 81,836 megawatts in 2018. Wind and solar capacity have been growing as well since 2006, reaching 12,817, and 3,100 megawatts respectively in 2018.

Similarly, Canada produces nearly 600 Peta joules of biomass energy annually of which solid and liquid wood waste makes up nearly 70% of total biomass energy.

The numbers are set to increases with politicians willing to increase the subsidies for renewable energy companies to produce clean electricity.

Conclusion

There are many renewable energy companies in Canada that are working towards creating a sustainable future for all of all. These green companies are not just producing or distributing renewable and clean energies but also actively working to give back to the community while also constantly innovating newer technologies to maximize efficiency and make those technologies available for a larger group of people.

Now, to recap the list, here are the top 15 Canadian Renewable Energy Companies.

1) IOGEN Corporation

2) RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP

3) POND TECHNOLOGIES

4) BIO-ENPOWER INC

5) AG-WEST BIO

6) AIRSCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES INC. (BIOGAS)

7) NULIFE GREEN TECH

8) INNERGEX/ALTERRA POWER

9) BULLFROG POWER

10) 3G ENERGY

11) SOLAR SOLUTIONS

12) NOVA SUN POWER

13) SOLAR EARTH TECHNOLOGIES

14) CANADIAN SOLAR

15) BLUE EARTH RENEWABLES