Federal investment in clean technology from 2016-2024

Federal investment in clean technology from 2016-2024
Figure 1 - Text version

The administrative data component of the Clean Technology Data Strategy (CTDS), led by the Clean Growth Hub, collects and analyzes data from 57 participating federal programs, across 22 organizations.table 3 note 1 du tableau 1 28 of these programs exclusively support cleantech, while another 29 support cleantech as part of a broader mandate.

Year Total value of agreements ($CAD)
2016 0.20 billion
2017 1.41 billion
2018 1.35 billion
2019 1.84 billion
2020 2.37 billion
2021 4.19 billion
2022 6.20 billion
2023 7.74 billion
2024 4.34 billion

From 2016 to 2024:

$29 billion has been committed at the federal level to cleantech projects.

Over 8,300 funding agreements have been signed with beneficiaries.

For funded cleantech projects, the median agreement value is $278,000.

The most common beneficiaries are for-profit organizations, having received almost $21 billion in funding.

EDC, ISED, NRCan and ECCCtable 3 note 2 have committed the most funding to cleantech projects.

Province or territory Distribution of funding agreements signed (%)
Atlantic provinces 16%
Quebec 16%
Ontario 29%
Manitoba 3%
Saskatchewan 3%
Alberta 13%
British Columbia 16%
Territories 4%

60% of project funding has been committed to two subsectors: renewable/non-emitting energy supply and transportation.

Cleantech Subsector Total value of agreements ($CAD)
Renewable and non-emitting energy supply 9.23 billion
Transportation 6.67 billion
Other 5 subsectorstable 3 note 3 4.11 billion
Mining, processing, materials, manufacturing and industry 2.35 billion
Energy efficiency 2.32 billion
Biofuels, bioenergy and bioproducts 1.54 billion

Cleantech projects are typically financed through non-repayable contributions (58%). The primary purpose of federal investments is to support project needs for:

  • Development ($5.00 billion)
    • Research & Development
    • Pilot & Demonstration
    • Commercialization & Market Entry
  • Business Support ($12.94 billion)
    • Growth & Scale Up
    • Export
  • Adoption ($10.05 billion)
    • Clean Technology Adoption

Estimates from around 1,400 projectstable 4 note 4 show that over 198,000 jobs have been created or maintained through federal investment.

For over 4,000 projects, climate change mitigation / greenhouse gas reduction is the primary environmental benefit.

Table 1 Notes
Table 1 Note 1

Cleantech projects were identified from the proactive disclosure of grants and contributions up to March 31, 2025. The scope is focused on support for innovative technologies that provide environmental benefits, and now excludes programs that are focused on supporting jobs (e.g., Mitacs Accelerate).

Return to table 1 note 1 referrer

Table 1 Note 2

Export Development Canada (EDC); Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED); Natural Resources Canada (NRCan); Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

Return to table 3 note 2 referrer

Table 1 Note 3

Statistics Canada's taxonomy in the Survey of Environmental Goods and Services defines the cleantech subsectors. The other 5 subsectors are: Air, environment and remediation; Precision agriculture, forestry and biodiversity; Smart grid and energy storage; Waste and recycling; Water and wastewater.

Return to table 3 note 3 referrer

Table 1 Note 4

Jobs data are only available for 17% of projects and count all jobs associated with those projects, not only cleantech sector jobs. These estimates are not representative of the full impact of federal cleantech investments on jobs.

Return to table 4 note 4 referrer

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to these organizations for their ongoing participation and support: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Business Development Bank of Canada, Canada Economic Development Agency for Quebec Regions, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Department of National Defence, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Export Development Canada, Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, National Research Council Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Pacific Economic Development Canada, Prairies Economic Development Canada, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, and Transport Canada.