Surprise, surprise — yet another Vancouver-based cleantech find. I really need to move to the West Coast.

DynaMotive Energy Systems Corp., which is traded over the counter under the ticker DYMTF, uses a patended “pyrolysis” process to convert forest and agricultural waste — everything from sawdust to tree bark — into a clean-burning renewable fuel it calls BioOil. This fuel can be used for power generation in gas turbines, diesel engines and boilers.

According to its Web site, “The process takes less than two seconds to produce BoiOil, char and non-condensable gases. There is zero waste as the BioOil and char has significant commercial application and value and the non-condensable gases are recycled and produce approximately 75 per cent of the energy required for the pyrolysis process.”

It says the BioOil it produces is greenhouse gas neutral, doesn’t produce sulfur dioxide emissions during combustion and releases half of the nitrogen oxide of comparative fossil fuels.

I guess what struck me as most interesting is that the company’s “proof-of-concept” project is located in West Lorne, Ontario, which, if all works well, could lead to an array of promising commercial projects and products. It should be pointed out that Sustainable Development Technology Canada contributed $5 million toward the project.

At West Lorne, DynaMotive has built a cogeneration plant that uses biomass as a feedstock to produce its BioOil. The plant is producing about 50 tonnes of BioOil per day, with the potential to reach 70 tonnes. That fuel is being used in a gas turbine from Magellan Aerospace’s Orenda division and is resulting in the generation of more than 2 megawatts of electricity, a portion of which goes toward powering a neighbouring flooring manufacturing facility and the rest being fed into the Ontario power grid.

But heat is also captured from the turbine, producing steam that is also being used by the flooring company — Erie Flooring — in some of its industrial operations.

The West Lorne site, as a result, has obtained EcoLogo certification and DynaMotive has been busy using this pilot to sign revenue-generating commercial contracts. Its first licensing deal was announced in June with Megacity Recycling Inc., which wants to build a 200 tonne-per-day plant in Ontario and has an option to build another plant of equal size in 2006. The likely sites for these and future projects will be in jurisdictions with a secure supply of biomass, whether it be wood chips to corn husks to sugar can residue. Considering rising oil prices, the company is also exploring opportunities to have its BioOil running in vehicles that use diesel.

Again, always nice to hear of new ways to create green power and fuels, but proving that the technology works is half the challenge. Unclear, yet, is whether DynaMotive’s BioOil production facilities and associated co-generation operations can be run profitably.

Fresh from the sale of a 10 kWh storage system to an Australian solar home project, Vancouver-based VRB Power has sold another 10 kWh system to SOLON AG, a top solar PV module producer in Germany.

SOLON said it plans to evaluate the VRB system in both grid-connected and grid-independent scenarios where solar energy is the primary source. Specifically, the company will test the storage system with its so-called “mover” system — a multiaxis solar tracking system that SOLON has put in locations throughout Germany. Also interesting is that SOLON will look at whether the VRB technology makes a good storage fit with utility-scale solar arrays.

On the surface this small, single sale may seem like no big deal, but considering SOLON is a major player in one of the hottest solar markets, this could prove fruitful over the long run as VRB attempts to gain a foothold and credibility in Europe.

Consider the following comment from Andrew Zwinkels, project manager for SOLON AG:

“Through this purchase SOLON will begin the development of truly independent solar energy,” said Zwinkels. “Applications will scale from our small autonomous power systems expanding up to entire solar parks like our 12 MW Erlasee facility. We believe that this is an essential technology and in association can help to increase the utilization of solar photovoltaic energy.”

That’s quite an early endorsement from a promising partner. Clearly, Europe is the place to focus if VRB wants to truly prove that its technology can eliminate the handicap associated with intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar.

VRB’s vice-president of marketing and business development, Mark Kuntz, is clear about the company’s focus: “VRB Power intends to expand its relationships in Europe with a focus on nations with strong renewable initiatives and markets that economically support the use of energy storage.”

The company may be making baby steps, but it appears to be heading in the right direction. At the very least it has started to tweak the interest of same major players, and if it can deliver on its promises the business will take care of itself.