The Sky’s the Limit Challenge
Be part of Canada’s aviation future
Introduction
The results are in!
Transcript
Canadians love to fly.
We’ve got a big country and we need to cover long distances.
For work
For family
And for fun
But to fight climate change, we need to find cleaner fuel for our airplanes.
That’s why we’ve launched the Sky’s the Limit Challenge
We’re challenging Canadians to develop an affordable, cleaner jet fuel for our planet.
We want to hear from you!
Interested in supplying sustainable aviation fuel for federal fleets? Find out more: Buy and Sell
The sky’s the limit!
The aviation industry needs a fuel that will cut pollution and fight climate change. Can you supply it? We need the jet fuel of the future now!
Who are we looking for?
You're a cleantech innovator
You want to make a difference
You've got your eye on the prize
Be part of Canada’s aviation future
Develop the jet fuel of the future
Develop new ways to produce biojet fuels.
Fight climate change
Fuels made from sustainable sources to fight climate change.
Have a global impact
Commercialize and compete on the international stage. Scale your innovation with a $5M grand prize.
Ready to fuel your idea? We can help.
Gate 1 - Check in
Join a team and submit your plan. Top four teams win $2M to help their idea take flight.
Layover - Make your connection
Join the online SAF Community to build some new connections in the industry.
Arrivals - Grand prize competition
Your idea is ready for takeoff. The winning team will receive $5M to commercialize their innovative fuel.
The Challenge
What are aviation biofuels?
Aviation biofuels are just like regular jet fuel, but they’re made from biomass such as waste oils, oil crops, wood fibre or algae. This means they emit less pollution during production than traditional aviation fuel made from fossil fuel sources.
Right now, there is a limited supply of aviation biofuels — and they’re expensive — up to five times the cost of traditional jet fuel. We want to change that.
To cut pollution in the aviation industry, we need a sustainable, cost-competitive alternative that meets international standards. We believe Canadian ingenuity can help this idea take flight!
Green Aviation Fuels Innovation Competition
Gate 1 — Now boarding
Think your idea can take flight? Submit your plan for why we should support your consortium. The top four teams will win $2 million in funding.
Layover — Make your connection!
Join the online SAF Community where participants can meet with the best of the green aviation fuels industry — from investors to airlines.
Arrivals — Show us your greenest fuel
The top four teams will submit their 10L sample for judgement. Produce the greenest and most cost-effective biojet fuel in Canada and win the $5 million grand prize!
Cross-Canada Flight Competition
3,000 km flight
The prize will be awarded to the first producer to make a made-in-Canada biojet fuel that meets all the criteria for a major Canadian airline to purchase and use for a flight across Canada. The winner receives $1 million!
Process & Prizes
Green Aviation Fuels Innovation Competition
Check out the applicant guide for more details about the challenge and its terms and conditions.
Text version
The Sky’s The Limit Challenge
Green Aviation Fuels Innovation Competition
Itinerary
- August 17, 2018 Call for proposals is now open. Apply today!
- February 1, 2019 Deadline to submit your plan
- May 29, 2019 Top four teams announced
- August 1, 2021 Ten litre biojet fuel produced
- March 30, 2022 Grand prize winner announced
Gate 1 is Now Boarding - Check In
Join a team and submit your plan. Top four teams win two million dollars to help their idea take flight.
Layover – Make your Connection!
Join us at the upcoming forum where participants can meet with the best of the green aviation fuels industry, from investors to airlines.
Arrivals – Grand Prize Competition
The Grand Prize of five million dollars will help the team with the best green aviation fuel commercialize their innovation.
Winner receives five million dollars
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Call for proposals is now open. Apply today!
August 17, 2018
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Deadline to submit your plan
February 1, 2019
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Top four teams announced
May 29, 2019
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10L biojet fuel produced
August 1, 2021
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Grand prize winner announced
March 30, 2022
Cross-Canada Flight Competition
Check out the applicant guide for more details about the flight challenge and its terms and conditions.
Text version
The Sky’s The Limit Challenge
Cross-Canada Flight Competition
Three thousand kilometre Direct flight
- March 2019: The competition begins!
- January 2021: Competition closes
A biojet producer validly incorporated or registered in Canada
The first producer to meet all the criteria for their “Made in Canada” biojet fuel will win one million dollars.
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The competition begins!
March 1, 2019
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Deadline for submissions
January 1, 2021
Green Aviation Fuels Innovation Competition
Four winners
The best plans from four teams will win $2 million each and a chance to compete for the Grand Prize.
Online forum on green aviation fuels
Network with industry, attract investment and contribute to the growth of an industry in Canada.
Grand Prize Winner
The top team will receive $5 million to scale up the winning biojet fuel and take their product to the next level.
Cross-Canada Flight Competition
Prize
Be the first to meet all the criteria for your made-in-Canada biojet fuel to win $1 million!
Results
Enerkem has been selected as the winner of the Sky's the Limit Challenge!
Enerkem, based in Montreal, was awarded the $5-million prize under The Sky’s the Limit, which challenged Canadians to develop an affordable, cleaner aviation fuel. Enerkem develops and uses advanced biochemical processes to convert municipal solid waste, as well as forestry and agricultural biomass, into sustainable chemicals and advanced biofuels, including sustainable aviation fuel.
Transcription
Enerkem is a leading, disruptive, clean technology provider. We produce renewable chemicals and bio fuels using non-recyclable waste and forest biomass.
Enerkem is proud to leverage its Made in Canada disruptive technology to offer an innovative, sustainable solution to reduce the carbon footprint of the aviation industry.
Forge has successfully produced a sustainable aviation fuel that can meet industry demands through a proven lipid into hydrocarbon technology. We produce low carbon cost, competitive, greener, cleaner, renewable diesel, gasoline and aviation fuel.
Our synthetic kerosene allows us to reduce the climate impact of both transportation and heavy industry. We turn clean electricity into fuels. In doing so, our technology allows the reduction of 80 percent in carbon emissions compared to conventional fuels.
We are commercializing direct air capture technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide can then be stored safely and permanently back underground where it came from. Or we can combine it with clean hydrogen to create a synthetic crude, which can then be refined into drop-in compatible fuels like sustainable aviation fuel.
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Finalists
Carbon Engineering
- Project name: Sustainable Aviation Fuel, made from Air, Water and Renewable Electricity
- Project location: Squamish (British Columbia)
Carbon Engineering (CE) has successfully demonstrated its AIR TO FUELS™ technology that converts atmospheric carbon dioxide, water, and green electricity into ultra-low carbon fuels. CE’s Sky’s the Limit Challenge project will utilize this proven technology to produce clean, drop-in compatible and ultra-low carbon intensity sustainable aviation fuel with minimal impacts on land and water resources.
Enerkem
- Project name: Sustainable Aviation Fuels from Agro and Forestry Biomass and from Municipal Solid Waste through a Hub and Spoke approach
- Project location: Westbury (Quebec)
Enerkem and partners across the value chain will work together to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) from forestry biomass and municipal solid waste via two parallel processes: deconstruction and fractionation, and gasification. Our Sky’s the Limit Challenge project will produce SAF which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using wastes that would otherwise be landfilled, thereby also creating a circular economy.
FORGE Hydrocarbons
- Project Name: Lipid-to-Hydrocarbon Biojet Project
- Project location: Edmonton (Alberta)
As a finalist in the Sky’s the Limit Challenge, FORGE Hydrocarbons will demonstrate their “Lipid to Hydrocarbon”(LTH) technology and its unique ability to produce renewable aviation fuels from waste fat and oil feedstocks.
SAF+ Consortium
- Project Name: Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel from flue gas–captured CO2 and low-carbon hydrogen
- Project location: Montreal (Quebec)
SAF+ Consortium develops an innovative circular economy solution that will capture industry emissions and transform them into clean synthetic fuel with 80% less carbon footprint than conventional jet fuel. Together with our partners AirTransat and Trudeau Airport, we aim to make Montreal into a leading hub for sustainable flying. As part of the Sky’s the Limit Challenge, we are building a pilot unit that will demonstrate the entire process in 2020.
Stay connected
Send us your questions at: nrcan.cleantechimpact-impacttechpropres.rncan@canada.ca. We will get back to you within two business days.
Join the conversation using #ImpactCanada and #GreenAviation
Apply
Who can apply?
Green Aviation Fuels Innovation Competition
- For-profit and not-for-profit organizations
- Indigenous organizations and groups
- Canadian academia
Cross-Canada Flight Competition
- A biojet producer validly incorporated or registered in Canada
Key Dates
Green Aviation Fuels Innovation Competition
- Call for proposals deadline: February 1, 2019
- Four finalists announced: May 29, 2019
- Final prize submission deadline: August 1, 2021
- Final prize winner announced: March 30, 2022
Cross-Canada Flight Competition
- Competition begins: March 1, 2019
- Competition closes: January 1, 2021
Prizes
Green Aviation Fuels Innovation Competition
- Four top teams will win $2 million each to support their plan
- The Grand Prize of $5 million will help the team with the best green aviation fuel commercialize their innovation
Cross-Canada Flight Competition
- The first producer to meet all the criteria for their made-in-Canada biojet fuel will win $1 million
Last modified: 2025-01-26