Advancing Clean Technologies
Grants help farms, Mi’kmaq farming activities and agri-businesses using Nova Scotia agricultural products adopt cleaner energy and more efficient equipment.
Denne finansieringsmulighed er i øjeblikket beskrevet på engelsk.
The programme supports climate adaptation, lower greenhouse-gas emissions and energy efficiency in agriculture. Eligible work includes efficient heating and cooling; solar, wind and heat pumps; low-carbon fuel switching; heat curtains or insulation identified in an energy assessment; reverse-osmosis equipment for maple production; three-phase power; battery storage; LED horticultural lighting; energy monitoring; efficient biomass boilers and furnaces; and biofuel production through anaerobic digestion.
For the closed 2026 intake, support is calculated differently for each activity:
- Solar installations costing more than CAD 60,000: CAD 0.30 per installed watt.
- Battery storage costing more than CAD 60,000: CAD 300 per kilowatt-hour of storage capacity.
- Three-phase power installation: 60% of eligible costs, with no minimum project cost.
- Other projects costing more than CAD 60,000: 60% of eligible costs.
The maximum grant depends on annual income: CAD 50,000 for income of CAD 30,000–99,999; CAD 100,000 for CAD 100,000–249,999; and CAD 150,000 for CAD 250,000 or more. Awards depend on available funding, and the Department may limit awards to an applicant or associated applicants to allow others access.
Total government funding, including Efficiency Nova Scotia’s Agriculture Program, generally cannot exceed 75% of eligible project costs. Combining this grant with Efficiency Nova Scotia’s Beneficial Management Practices Program is prohibited.
Eligibility
Eligible categories are registered farms, Mi’kmaq conducting farming activities in Mi’kmaw communities, and agri-businesses.
- Farms must be properly registered under the Farm Registration Act, actively farming in the programme year and have annual eligible gross farming income of at least CAD 30,000, based on their Farm Registration income level. The applicant must be at least 19.
- Agri-businesses must represent identifiable Nova Scotia agriculture and agri-food products: products supporting economic growth using Nova Scotia primary agricultural ingredients. Annual eligible gross income must be at least CAD 30,000, evidenced by a 2025 T2 corporate tax return and/or internal income statement; 2024 documentation is accepted if 2025 taxes have not been filed.
- Agri-businesses must prove annual local raw-agricultural-ingredient purchases of at least CAD 5,000 when income is CAD 30,000–49,999, CAD 10,000 when income is CAD 50,000–99,999, and CAD 25,000 when income is CAD 100,000 or more.
Priority goes to applicants who have not received funding under this programme (2023–2028) or the earlier Nova Scotia Clean Technology for Agriculture Program (2021–2023).
Used equipment must be declared in the application, bought from a recognized dealer and in good condition; approval is case by case. Modifications needed to optimize or install equipment may also be assessed case by case. Transactions with a supplier associated with the applicant are excluded unless that supplier is proven to be the only registered company providing the service in the area. In that exception, obtain pre-approval before proceeding or submitting a claim.
Excluded costs include travel, administration and general overhead, buildings and building modifications, sea containers, in-kind contributions, ongoing software licensing costs or fees, standard software, operating costs, existing staff wages or salaries, small hand tools and HST (harmonized sales tax).
Farm projects must directly apply to the registered farm on owned or leased agricultural land. Physical projects on leased or rented land require a copy of the long-term lease or rental agreement with the application. Approval requires a lease lasting at least 10 years and continuing for at least five years after funding is received. Immediately notify the Department in writing of lease termination, changed duration or a change in the lessor’s identity.
How to apply
- Status
- lukket
- Åbner
- Lukker
- Vilkår for ansøgningsrunden
- Applications are closed. This is the final programme year.[^c18][^c20]
- Activity period: 1 April 2026–28 February 2027. Claim deadline: 28 February 2027.[^c13]
Applications for the 2026 intake are closed. The guidelines identify this as the programme’s final year. Approved projects have an activity period from 1 April 2026 to 28 February 2027, with claims due by 28 February 2027.
That intake required a complete application and project quotations, with only one application per applicant per year. Applicants new to Programs since 2023 had to complete the Program Funding Registration form; returning applicants had to update changed business details. Documents go to the Department of Agriculture Programs Office at prm@novascotia.ca or 74 Research Drive, Bible Hill, Nova Scotia B6L 2R2.
The Department reviews applications with Efficiency Nova Scotia for an energy-efficiency assessment and with a scoring committee. Criteria include greenhouse-gas reduction shown in that assessment, project cost per unit of reduction, business or agricultural impact, and innovation. Review may take up to three months. Successful applicants receive a Letter of Agreement setting their funding and conditions; report any errors and sign and return it within 30 days of its date or forfeit the funding.
Approved applicants receive a claim form after returning the signed agreement. Submit the signed form, invoices for eligible costs incurred and paid, and proof of each payment to Programs by the claim deadline. An invoice merely marked paid and signed by the supplier is insufficient. Claims below CAD 20 receive no payment.
A final report is mandatory. Submit it with the claim to avoid a 25% holdback; the Department may publish final reports and conduct a follow-up review. Projects can also be reviewed or audited before work starts, during work or after completion, and applicants may be asked to complete an evaluation survey linked to the final claim.