Canadian carbon removal project developer Deep Sky has selected a site in Innisfail, Alberta to build the world’s first carbon removal innovation and commercialization centre, Deep Sky Labs.
Deep Sky Labs’ mission is to accelerate the path to low cost, low energy intensity and highly scalable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to produce high integrity carbon credits. The project represents an industry first for the private development of scalable CDR, the first cross-technology project in the world, and the first commercial direct air capture project in Canada.
Strategically located an hour north of Calgary, Innisfail is an emerging clean energy hub.
The Deep Sky Labs site is located within 5 acres of a municipality-owned industrial park at 6015 35th Street, neighboring other proposed green projects including a solar farm and waste-to-energy plant. Engineering and design work has been conducted in partnership with leading engineering firm BBA, and construction will begin imminently.
The facility will be operational this winter, and will have the capacity to capture 3,000 tons of CO2 per year, or 30,000 tons over a 10-year period, via up to 10 different technologies. It will also include room for future expansion.
Labs makes it possible for many different Direct Air Capture (DAC) concepts to be tested simultaneously. Its tech-agnostic nature decreases delivery and operational risks while increasing the speed at which the industry can scale. This novel approach solves for the delivery delays that have plagued past global carbon removal projects.
To start, eight state-of-the-art DAC technologies will be deployed at the facility, sitting side by side with standardized instrumentation for the collection of operational data. Here, they’ll be tested and optimized for performance year-round in the Canadian climate and validated before committing to them at commercial scale. Proprietary Deep Sky software will track and benchmark all operational data to accelerate the R&D of technology partners and the industry at large – another industry first.
The eight technologies will have full access to renewable power and carbon storage, enabling a life cycle analysis to ultimately produce verified carbon removal credits validated by third-party carbon registries. These elite DAC providers include Airhive, Avnos, Phlair (formerly Carbon Atlantis), Greenlyte Carbon Technologies, Mission Zero, NEG8 Carbon, Skyrenu, and Skytree. Together, the partners represent the world’s foremost CO2 carbon removal technologies, convening for the first time in Canada, the carbon removal capital of the world.
Labs is purpose-built with space for 10 different DAC technologies, with room to expand. While eight world class technologies are already confirmed, Deep Sky Labs is actively seeking additional technology developers interested in piloting their direct air capture technology.
Priority criteria include a pathway to low energy intensity (1,000 kWh per ton of CO2 captured or lower at scale), simplicity and focus on removing CO2 (no utilization pathways), manufacturing and scalability, and a strong team. Any DAC providers interested in deploying at Deep Sky Labs can fill out this form.
“I cannot overstate the significance of the world’s first carbon removal innovation and commercialization centre, and what this means for Canada and our planet at large,” said Damien Steel, Deep Sky CEO.
“This project represents a world first and serves as a testing ground from which the nascent industry can grow into Canada’s multi-trillion-dollar enterprise. We’re in the business of scaling carbon removals, and this first facility represents a giant step forward for the health of our planet and our economy. Prioritizing quality and speed, we’re proud that this facility went from concept to construction in less than a year.”