Canadian clean energy startups in 2026 are no longer just testing ideas—they are building climate infrastructure that plugs into real assets, wins global customers, and positions Canada as an export-grade climate tech hub.
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Canada’s Clean Energy Moment
Canada’s clean energy sector is entering a pivotal phase as a new wave of startups moves from pilots and demos toward commercial-scale deployment. These companies are targeting emissions-intensive sectors such as cement, steel, oil and gas, power grids, and heavy industry, while also building entirely new capabilities in hydrogen logistics, energy storage, and carbon dioxide removal.
What sets this 2026 cohort apart is execution: instead of building around abstract climate benefits, they are integrating with existing industrial and natural systems, securing offtake agreements, and delivering measurable, verifiable emissions reductions. Spanning British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada, they underscore how Canada is shifting from climate-talk to climate-build.
Why Canadian Clean Energy Startups Matter in 2026
From Experiments to Execution
Over the past few years, Canada’s climate tech scene has been dominated by pilots, test sites, and early-stage demonstrations. In 2026, more companies are crossing the threshold into commercial projects backed by industrial partners, carbon removal buyers, and long-term contracts.
This shift is visible in the rise of offtake agreements for carbon removal, deployment-scale storage projects, and startup–incumbent collaborations in sectors like cement and pulp and paper. The result is a cleaner, more investable ecosystem where climate tech is measured by performance, not just promise.
Canada’s Structural Advantages
Canada enters this phase with several structural advantages that matter to investors, policymakers, and corporates. The country already derives the majority of its electricity from non-emitting sources, has deep industrial expertise, and is rolling out policies that frame decarbonization as an economic strategy rather than a compliance exercise.
Geographically, innovation is distributed across multiple hubs: Vancouver’s climate-tech cluster, Calgary’s energy-transition ecosystem, Sherbrooke’s engineering depth, and Atlantic Canada’s emerging carbon removal and ocean-tech scene. That dispersion reduces concentration risk and creates several parallel laboratories for scaling clean solutions.
10 Canadian Clean Energy Startups to Watch in 2026
Ayrton Energy (Calgary, Alberta) – Hydrogen Storage and Transport
Ayrton Energy is a Calgary-based, women-led company developing liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology that allows hydrogen to be stored and moved using existing fuel infrastructure. By converting hydrogen into a stable liquid that can circulate through familiar logistics systems, Ayrton tackles one of the biggest bottlenecks in the hydrogen economy: safe, cost-effective, scalable transport.
Founded in 2021, Ayrton Energy has attracted strong industry interest and was recognized as Startup Venture of the Year at Alberta’s 2025 cleantech awards, a sign of how seriously the region now treats hydrogen as part of its future energy mix. As Alberta and other provinces roll out hydrogen strategies, LOHC-based logistics offers a practical route to connect production, storage, and end users.
Website: https://ayrtonenergy.com
CarbonRun (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) – River-Based Carbon Removal
CarbonRun, headquartered in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is scaling a river-focused approach to carbon dioxide removal that works directly with natural freshwater systems. The company enhances river alkalinity in a controlled, science-backed way, restoring water chemistry while enabling CO₂ to convert into forms that are ultimately stored long term in the ocean.
Founded in 2022, CarbonRun has already signed what is described as the first river alkalinity enhancement carbon removal deal and earned recognition as Scaleup Venture of the Year in Atlantic Canada’s cleantech awards. As buyers seek high-integrity, verifiable carbon removal and look beyond forests and soil, CarbonRun’s nature-based yet rigorously quantified approach is gaining attention.
Website: https://www.carbonrun.com
CO280 (Vancouver, British Columbia) – Engineered Carbon Removal from Pulp & Paper
Vancouver-based CO280 focuses on engineered carbon removal by turning existing pulp and paper mills into carbon removal assets. The company retrofits mills to capture biogenic CO₂ and then permanently stores it underground, effectively transforming familiar industrial sites into climate infrastructure without requiring brand-new facilities.
CO280 has secured long-term carbon removal offtake agreements from major corporate buyers, including climate-forward technology and finance firms, and is advancing projects across Canada and the United States. As its first large projects move toward operation, CO280 is positioned to become a significant supplier of durable, engineered carbon removal credits and a reference point for industrial CDR standards.
Website: https://www.co280.com
CURA (Vancouver & Calgary) – Low-Carbon Cement
CURA, operating between Vancouver and Calgary, is targeting emissions from cement, one of the world’s most carbon-intensive materials. The company has developed an electrochemical process that pre-treats limestone before it enters cement kilns, cutting process emissions and energy use while allowing producers to keep much of their existing equipment.
Emerging from stealth with backing and interest from industrial partners, CURA’s technology has been reported to reduce CO₂ emissions from cement production by a substantial margin, positioning it as a potential enabler of low-carbon building materials at scale. As regulators and customers increasingly focus on embodied carbon in construction, CURA sits squarely at the intersection of climate policy and infrastructure demand.
Website: https://curaclimate.com
Green Manganese (Vancouver, British Columbia) – Low-Carbon Critical Minerals
Green Manganese is a Vancouver-based startup focused on producing low-carbon manganese, a critical mineral for steelmaking and battery manufacturing. The company is developing a proprietary process to recover high-purity manganese from low-grade ores and industrial waste streams, with the dual goal of reducing mining impacts and strengthening supply security.
Founded in 2024, Green Manganese has already generated international interest from downstream users, including potential partners in the European steel and battery industries. As energy storage and electric mobility scale, reliable and cleaner manganese supply chains will become increasingly strategic, putting this type of specialty producer in a favourable position.
Website: https://greenmanganese.com
Kathairos Solutions (Calgary, Alberta) – Methane Abatement for Oil & Gas
Kathairos Solutions, based in Calgary, targets methane emissions from remote oil and gas sites by replacing methane-powered pneumatic systems with nitrogen-based alternatives. The approach offers operators a way to significantly cut methane emissions—a potent, short-lived greenhouse gas—without major disruptions to existing operations.
Founded by energy sector veterans, Kathairos has gained recognition through environmental and energy awards and is seeing uptake among operators facing tightening methane regulations and investor pressure. Because methane reduction delivers fast climate benefits, technologies like Kathairos’ are increasingly viewed as essential tools for jurisdictions aiming to meet near-term climate targets.
Website: https://kathairos.com
Moment Energy (Vancouver, British Columbia) – Second-Life EV Battery Storage
Moment Energy, headquartered in Vancouver, repurposes retired electric vehicle batteries into certified battery energy storage systems. By combining testing, integration, and safety certification, the company extends the useful life of EV batteries while providing cost-effective storage solutions for commercial, industrial, and community customers.
With fresh funding and plans to build what it describes as North America’s first gigafactory dedicated to second-life EV batteries, Moment Energy is rapidly scaling its manufacturing and deployment capabilities. As EV adoption accelerates and grids demand more flexible storage, second-life solutions like this offer both an environmental and economic advantage.
Website: https://www.momentenergy.com
pHathom Technologies (Halifax, Nova Scotia) – Coastal Carbon Removal
Halifax-based pHathom Technologies is developing a carbon removal approach that combines biomass energy with ocean chemistry. The company captures CO₂ from biomass-based processes and converts it into stable bicarbonates that can be stored in seawater, delivering durable carbon removal while helping counter ocean acidification.
Founded in 2024, pHathom has already received industry recognition, including cleantech awards in Atlantic Canada, and is planning a pathway toward commercial deployment later this decade. Its model reflects a broader trend in Canadian climate tech: coupling engineered systems with natural processes to enhance durability and co-benefits.
Website: https://phathom.tech
Planetary (Halifax, Nova Scotia) – Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement
Planetary, also rooted in Halifax, advances ocean alkalinity enhancement as a scalable climate solution. By working with coastal infrastructure to increase ocean alkalinity, the company boosts the ocean’s capacity to absorb and store atmospheric CO₂ in more stable forms.
The company has secured more than US$31 million in carbon removal commitments, including a large multi-year agreement through the Frontier advance market commitment, and is now focused on scaling its projects and science program. As scrutiny of ocean-based carbon removal grows, Planetary’s emphasis on rigorous measurement, reporting, and verification is positioning it as a reference player in this emerging field.
Website: https://www.planetarytech.com
Skyrenu Technologies (Sherbrooke, Quebec) – Modular Direct Air Capture
Skyrenu Technologies, based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, is developing modular direct air capture systems that aim to be both energy-efficient and easy to deploy. Its reactor-less design focuses on continuous contact between air and sorbents, enabling captured CO₂ to be concentrated and then stored or used in low-carbon products such as carbon-negative building materials.
Named by CleanEnergy.ca as a Canadian clean energy startup to watch in 2026 and backed by NorthX Climate Tech, Skyrenu is emerging as a prominent player in Canada’s engineered carbon removal landscape. As policies and markets for high-quality removals mature, modular DAC offers a potentially flexible complement to point-source capture and nature-based approaches.
Website: https://skyrenu.com
The Bigger Picture: A New Phase for Canadian Clean Energy
Common threads run through these ten companies: they are designed to integrate with existing infrastructure, are oriented toward measurable climate impact, and are already engaging with real customers and counterparties, not just grant programs. Whether through offtake agreements, strategic investors, or global pilot sites, they are converting climate ambition into contracted climate services.
Taken together, these startups highlight Canada’s emerging role as a builder and exporter of clean energy solutions, from hydrogen and storage to carbon removal and low-carbon materials. As policy, capital, and technology continue to align through 2026 and beyond, Canada’s clean energy startups are positioned not just to grow domestically, but to help define the global transition’s next decade.
FAQs
What are some of the top Canadian clean energy startups to watch in 2026?
Leading examples include Ayrton Energy, CarbonRun, CO280, CURA, Green Manganese, Kathairos Solutions, Moment Energy, pHathom Technologies, Planetary, and Skyrenu Technologies, all spotlighted by CleanEnergy.ca’s 2026 list.
Which regions are emerging as hubs for Canadian clean energy startups?
Key hubs include Vancouver in British Columbia, Calgary in Alberta, Sherbrooke in Quebec, and Atlantic Canada cities such as Halifax and Dartmouth, each building distinct strengths across hydrogen, carbon removal, storage, and industrial decarbonization.
Why are Canadian clean energy startups attracting global attention?
They combine strong science and engineering with practical deployment in areas like carbon removal, hydrogen logistics, methane reduction, and grid storage, backed by national clean electricity strategies and growing export ambitions.
To explore more Canadian leaders, growth-stage startups, and breakthrough innovation stories, stay connected with: BestStartup.ca Canada’s fastest-growing startup discovery platform
