New projects have been funded through British Columbia’s Integrated Marketplace.
Delivered by Innovate BC, the program has been building a network of industry partners to identify challenges and implement technological solutions that help large-scale organizations increase competitiveness and improve health and safety.
As part of the StrongerBC Economic Plan, the Integrated Marketplace Initiative kicked off in 2022 with a pilot project linking Vancouver International Airport to B.C. clean-technology companies to help electrify operations and perhaps even become the world͛s greenest airport.
Last year, $10 million of funding through PacifiCan was added to an initial investment of $11.5 million from the provincial government.
“Creating innovative ideas and solutions that reduce emissions, improve competitiveness, and support local companies is essential for creating a strong economy that moves British Columbians forward,” says Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation.
Two of the projects seek to bolster operational capabilities at Vancouver International Airport through drone-based runway monitoring and an enhanced paging communication system in the terminal. A third project aims to support the development of a diagnostics component for General Fusion’s Magnetized Target Fusion machine.
Burnaby-born General Fusion, which operates as part of the Vancouver International Airport testbed, is working with Victoria-based Motus Design Group to design an electronic component. The component will enhance the diagnostic system for LM26, a fusion demonstration machine designed to achieve breakthroughs that will “de-risk and fast-track the company’s path to commercialization.”
“On our groundbreaking path to commercial fusion energy, Innovate BC’s Integrated Marketplace program is an excellent opportunity to work with companies like Motus Design in our own backyard,” says Greg Twinney, chief executive of GF. “We’re building world-changing fusion technology right here in B.C. and want to work with other local innovators along the way.”
Fusion is described as “the ultimate clean energy solution.” A process by which two light nuclei merge to form a heavier one, producing a massive amount of energy, fusion has the potential to deliver zero-carbon energy to the grid by the early to mid-2030s with General’s MTF technology, according to Twinney.
“From electronics hardware and engineering support to diagnostics and data analysis, we’re leveraging the unique capabilities of the thriving technology sector to deliver practical, clean fusion power in the next decade,” Twinney stated.
Under the project, a first-of-a-kind component will enable General Fusion to install diagnostics on LM26 and support the extraction and storage of data. When operational, this diagnostics system will provide thousands of data points used to improve the capabilities of the machine with each run, according to Josh Erickson, a cofounder of Motus.
“The technology aims to improve the reliability and scalability of hundreds of channels of sensor systems needed to collect and manage data on General Fusion’s transformative LM26 fusion demonstration machine,” the CEO stated. “Better data helps General Fusion on its path to make British Columbia a leader in commercializing zero carbon energy through fusion.”
“Motus is excited to be deploying our digital optical converter technology at General Fusion,” the CEO stated.
“This suite of projects perfectly represents what is possible through the program,” commented Peter Cowan, chief executive of Innovate BC.
“I look forward to seeing the contributions these . . . projects will make to people in B.C. and globally,” Bailey stated.
A Crown Agency of British Columbia, Innovate BC works to foster innovation across the province through delivering a range of programs that help companies scale, access talent, and develop commercial technology.
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