Canada accounts for more than one-fifth of the companies on Cleantech Group’s 2026 Cleantech 50 to Watch, with 11 ventures recognized for technologies spanning energy storage, geothermal power, industrial decarbonization, and wildfire response.
Released today, the annual list highlights early-stage companies positioned to shape the next wave of cleantech innovation. Selected through nominations and votes from Cleantech Group’s expert panelists, this year’s honourees represent 12 countries.
Canada’s 11 companies place it second behind the United States, which has 18, and ahead of the United Kingdom with seven and Germany with six.
The Canadian contingent reflects a broader shift identified by Cleantech Group: growing demand for technologies that strengthen energy security, secure critical material supplies, and help communities and businesses withstand climate impacts.
“With certainty, we’ve exited the days of the green premium,” said Anthony DeOrsey, Research Manager at Cleantech Group. “We’re now firmly entering the age of the sovereignty premium that is likely to define the late 2020s.”
Energy and power is the largest category on the global list, accounting for 17 companies, followed by materials and chemicals with 15.
Canada’s energy innovators include Aqua-Cell Energy, which is developing saltwater batteries to store renewable electricity, and FeX Energy, whose iron-based thermochemical storage technology converts electricity into sustained, high-temperature industrial heat.
Aslan Renewables is developing modular hydropower systems that retrofit existing dams and water-control infrastructure, while TerraFerno Geothermal Solutions is advancing high-temperature well tools and flow-control systems designed to improve geothermal energy production and economics.
Several Canadian honourees are tackling industrial emissions and material supply chains. CURA is developing technology to reduce cement manufacturing emissions by separating process carbon dioxide before it enters the kiln. Green Graphite Technologies is advancing graphite purification technologies for miners and recyclers, while Anodyne Chemistries makes low-carbon chemicals from carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity.
Climate resilience is another prominent theme. Evercloak is developing membrane-based dehumidification technology to reduce the energy needed to cool buildings. CRWN.AI uses sensors and AI-powered analysis to identify electrical equipment problems before they cause outages or ignite wildfires.
Rounding out the Canadian group are FireSwarm Solutions, which develops autonomous coordination technology for aerial wildfire suppression, and Voxelis AI, which combines airborne sensing and AI-generated intelligence to support wildfire crews and incident commanders.
According to Cleantech Group, this year’s selection reflects increasingly practical customer priorities, including faster access to power, more resilient supply chains, and lower exposure to extreme heat and water scarcity.
For Canada’s honourees, the recognition highlights a range of approaches to those challenges, from extracting more value from existing infrastructure to developing new ways to store energy and manufacture essential materials.
The full 2026 Cleantech 50 to Watch list is available through Cleantech Group.