Partner Profile: FuelPositive
A conversation with FuelPositive co-founders Ian Clifford and Luna Charlebois
Based on an interview conducted by Sophie LeClaire on March 12, 2026, and subsequent email correspondence.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the views of NICCEE or its funding partners.
FuelPositive is a Canada-based company developing decentralized, on-farm green ammonia systems. These systems use air, water, and renewable electricity to produce ammonia without carbon emissions. By enabling farmers to own and operate their own fertilizer and fuel production units, FuelPositive offers farmers greater independence, cost stability, and resilience.
To learn more, we corresponded with Ian Clifford and Luna Charlebois, FuelPositive’s co-founders, to ask them about what it would look like for farmers to own their means of fertilizer production and how that will impact future farming.
What is the main purpose/mission of your startup?
FuelPositive was built out of a simple but urgent realization. During the pandemic, we experienced just how fragile global supply chains really are and how quickly that fragility impacts the people who can least absorb it. Farmers, along with remote, rural, and Indigenous communities, were often the first to feel that pressure, especially when it came to access to essential inputs like fertilizer and energy. Prices surged, access became uncertain, and that pattern has continued with every new disruption, whether it’s conflict, transportation breakdowns, or shifting tariffs.
That moment forced a deeper question: what would it look like to redesign access to these essentials in a way that is more local, reliable, and equitable? As we explored fossil fuel-free alternatives, we came across a small-scale green ammonia technology originally developed at Ontario Tech University. We acquired the intellectual property and began developing it with a clear focus, not just to replace fossil fuel-based fertilizer, but to rethink how it’s produced and accessed altogether.
At its core, FuelPositive is about decentralization. It’s about giving farmers and communities the ability to produce what they need, where they need it, without relying on long, vulnerable supply chains. That shift has implications not just for cost and emissions, but for resilience, independence, and long-term stability.
What are the short-term and long-term goals?
Short term, we’re very focused on getting our first system fully up and running. It’s already installed on an 11,000-acre grain farm just outside Winnipeg, and the farmer is on board and ready. We’re at the last stage before commercialization. The remaining work is the final step in the certification process, coordinated by Stantec, including securing the financing to complete that work. Once that’s in place, we move straight into activation and demonstration.
That’s a big moment for us, because it allows farmers to actually see the system operating on a real farm, under real conditions. From there, the goal is to build on that momentum by firming up sales and moving into our first batch of manufacturing. There’s already a lot of demand for something like this.
Longer term, the vision goes well beyond a single system or even agriculture alone. This really started with farmers, but it extends to any community that’s looking for more control and stability in how they access essential inputs. Whether it’s fertilizer, energy, or fuel, the idea is to reduce dependence on systems that are volatile and often out of reach. If we’re serious about food security, it starts by giving farmers control over the inputs they depend on most. That’s ultimately what we’re trying to build toward.
How does your work affect people and the environment?
From an environmental perspective, the impact starts at production. FuelPositive systems operate on renewable electricity and produce ammonia directly on-site, which means there are virtually no emissions associated with production. Unlike large, centralized facilities, this is a contained process that operates directly at the farm level.
By producing fertilizer where it’s used, we significantly reduce emissions tied to transport, which has traditionally involved moving product across long distances. Systems can also be distributed across a farm, reducing the need for constant movement of inputs and equipment, which further lowers fuel use.
With an on-farm system, farmers have more control to apply fertilizer at the right time, in the right conditions, which helps reduce unnecessary losses. At the same time, we are actively exploring ways to further reduce those impacts as the technology evolves.
Just as important is the impact on people. Farmers are dealing with a lot of uncertainty right now around input costs, availability, and global disruptions, and there’s a real sense of urgency to find more stable, predictable solutions. At its core, this is about turning fertilizer from a volatile, externally controlled cost into something farmers can produce and manage themselves. We’re very aware of that, and we’re working hard to get there.
When fertilizer can be produced on-site, it allows farmers to plan with more confidence, apply inputs when it makes the most sense, and operate with greater stability. That stability has long-term implications. More predictable input costs support better planning, stronger resilience, and more viable succession from one generation to the next. It helps make farming a more sustainable livelihood, not just environmentally, but economically and socially as well.
Ultimately, the impact is both immediate and long-term. It’s about reducing emissions, but also about reducing stress, restoring a sense of control, and building a more resilient foundation for the people and communities who rely on these systems every day.
Can you describe the technology development process for your company, and how it is competitive with other industry technologies?
Our technology development started with research out of Ontario Tech University, led by Dr. İbrahim Dinçer, where a lab-scale prototype explored whether traditional Haber-Bosch ammonia production could be made green and significantly reduced in size. We initially saw this as a promising fossil-free fuel alternative and made the decision to secure the intellectual property.
From a technical standpoint, we’ve taken that original lab-scale work and developed it into a fully integrated system designed for real-world farm use. Our core intellectual property lies in the ammonia synthesis process and how it has been adapted, engineered, and optimized for decentralized, on-site production using only electricity, water, and air. That work has led to the system we now have installed on a farm in Manitoba, which is nearing activation towards its demonstration and commercialization phase.
What makes us competitive is not just the technology itself, but the system and company culture we’ve build around it. The industry today is based on large, centralized production and long, often fragile supply chains. Our model gives farmers the ability to produce and manage one of their most critical inputs directly on-site. We’re not just replacing fossil fuel-based ammonia, we’re changing how it’s produced and who controls it.
We’ve made a deliberate effort to build resilience into our own supply chain, sourcing components as locally as possible to reduce exposure to global disruptions like tariffs or geopolitical instability. That approach mirrors what we are trying to achieve for farmers.
Our competitiveness comes from combining proprietary process development, a decentralized production model, and a fully integrated system designed to restore control, stability, and resilience at the end-user level.
How are you ensuring your process uses renewable energy?
Our system runs entirely on electricity, which allows us to control the carbon profile of production. In regions like Manitoba, we ensure this by connecting to a predominantly hydroelectric grid. That means from day one, the ammonia produced is carbon-free and cost-competitive because the electricity itself is already clean and stable.
At the same time, the system is designed to operate with on-site renewable energy such as wind, solar, or geothermal. This is an important part of the model, particularly for farms and remote or northern communities where grid access may be limited or where greater energy independence is needed.
The ideal scenario is to pair the system with local renewable generation, allowing the operation to run independently or as part of a microgrid. In that configuration, the farmer or community has direct control over energy input and green ammonia production, with electricity becoming the only meaningful variable in the cost structure.
This approach ensures that we are consistently producing green ammonia, while also improving resilience, reducing exposure to external energy and commodity markets, and enabling a more decentralized and reliable production model.
Do you have partnerships that help drive your work (i.e, govt, private stakeholders, farmers)? What role do they play?
Yes, partnerships are central to how FuelPositive advances both research and deployment. We take a deeply collaborative approach to ensure the technology is shaped by real-world input and adapted to the needs of farmers, communities, and partners.
On the academic side, we work closely with institutions such as the University of Manitoba and the University of Guelph, and are part of the NICCEE ecosystem. These relationships allow for meaningful collaboration with professors, researchers, and students on applied, field-based work. At the foundation of this work is our partnership with the Hiebert family, including Curtis and Tracy, multigenerational farmers operating an 11,000-acre farm in Manitoba. Along the way, other farmers have also become trusted advisors, including Chad Berry, a Manitoba potato farmer, and many others who have generously shared their insights, experience, and vision for the future of agriculture in Canada and beyond.
FuelPositive’s system is also positioned to function as a “Living Lab”, creating a unique opportunity for researchers and educators to study green ammonia production, nitrogen use, and emissions in a real-world, operating environment. This enables research at scale and in context, which is critical for advancing practical solutions.
Beyond academia, we are working with Stantec, our lead engineering partner, supporting system optimization, certification, and readiness for commercial deployment. Alongside Stantec, Wescan, a long-established Manitoba industrial contractor, is supporting critical electrical and mechanical integration, bringing decades of field experience to the project. Together, these partnerships are helping bridge the gap between innovation and real-world deployment while we continue exploring future applications, including controlled environment agriculture.
In parallel, we have been building meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and leaders, helping us better understand the unique realities of remote, northern, and rural communities in Manitoba.
As financing is completed, additional resources will be directed toward research and development, enabling us to expand these efforts and pursue a wide range of opportunities in Canada and globally.
What do you see as the biggest risk to your success, and how are you mitigating it?
The biggest risk to our success is not demand or competition, it’s the pace of regulatory and funding processes.
We’re seeing strong and growing interest from farmers, especially around the value of having more control over input costs and supply. Our decentralized model speaks directly to that, so we feel confident about where we sit in the market.
Where things become more challenging is the time it can take to move innovative projects through existing systems in Canada. Regulatory approvals, funding timelines, and administrative processes don’t always move at the same pace as the technology itself, and that can slow things down even when everything else is ready.
We approach this by staying very disciplined in our execution, working with experienced partners like Stantec, and maintaining active, constructive engagement with government and stakeholders. At the same time, we’re focused on advancing financing and building strong relationships with early adopters so we can keep momentum.
It’s also important to say this isn’t an all-or-nothing market. The global need for sustainable fertilizer solutions is significant, and there’s room for multiple success stories. Our approach, which gives farmers more control and predictability, is well aligned with that demand.
Can you explain your pricing structure, particularly whether green ammonia production units are sold outright, leased, deployed under off-take agreements, or offered through another model?
Our primary model is to sell the system directly to farmers, with maintenance and support services. The goal is ownership, because that’s what gives farmers real control over their input costs and supply.
At the same time, we recognize that not every operation is in the same position. We’re exploring ways to support farmers who may not want or be able to take on the full upfront investment, including those earlier in their careers or those with different planning horizons. We’ve had encouraging discussions with agricultural lenders who are interested in supporting flexible access to the system.
We’ve chosen not to pursue offtake models, as they keep farmers dependent on third parties. Our focus is to shift control back to the farm.
Beyond the system, we will provide maintenance and operational support, and can assist with services such as ammonia handling logistics, including nurse tank refilling, depending on the needs of the operator.
There is also a clear opportunity for government to support adoption through farmer-focused incentives, such as equipment financing, renewable energy integration, or electricity pricing.
Ultimately, the model is designed to remain flexible while keeping the objective clear: farmer ownership, control, and long-term cost and supply stability.
What incentives/subsidies are you currently leveraging?
At the business model level, none, and that is intentional.
We’ve designed the model to stand on its own economically, without relying on subsidies, tax credits, or carbon markets. The reason is simple: we want the solution to be stable, predictable, and viable over the long term, based on its own performance.
That said, there is clear upside for customers. Farmers can benefit from available incentives or carbon-related programs where applicable, and we will support them in accessing those opportunities to maximize value.
How do you see demand for green ammonia changing/developing in the future? Where does FuelPositive fit in?
We see demand for green ammonia growing as farmers look for more reliable and predictable access to different types of nitrogen fertilizer, which include anhydrous, aqueous, urea and others.
What FuelPositive offers is not a new input; it is the same ammonia molecule already widely used in agriculture, produced on-site. That means no change in practice for the farmer, but a meaningful shift in how they access and manage supply.
As we bring the system into full operation and demonstrate it in a real-world setting, that will be an important step in converting existing interest into adoption. From there, growth will be driven by proven performance and practical value at the farm level.
FuelPositive fits into this by offering a decentralized model that puts production closer to where it is needed. If the system continues to perform as expected, it becomes a straightforward option for farmers looking to improve reliability and manage costs more effectively.
How do you interact with the NICCEE community and NICCEE’s mission? What do you see as NICCEE’s role?
One of the beautiful things about NICCEE is that it’s global, and the issue is global. One of the most compelling aspects of the NICCEE community is its big-picture perspective. The challenges being addressed are global, but the solutions will naturally differ by region, so having diverse, international voices at the table is incredibly valuable.
We engage with NICCEE as part of a collaborative ecosystem that brings together scientific expertise, commercial partners, and community perspectives. What stands out is the level of commitment to finding meaningful solutions and the openness to sharing knowledge across disciplines and geographies.
As we move forward, we see an opportunity to deepen that involvement, including supporting and participating in specific research initiatives, and contributing as an active partner in the development of practical, deployable technologies.
What we find especially valuable, and where we see NICCEE playing a strong role, is in helping bridge the gap between research and real-world application. The conversations that resonate most are those focused on implementation, ensuring that strong ideas can translate into solutions that are actually adopted and used in the field.
Ultimately, NICCEE plays an important role as a connector, bringing together the right people, ideas, and perspectives to move solutions forward in a way that is both thoughtful and practical.
What would you want the average person to know about FuelPositive?
FuelPositive is a technology company that allows nitrogen, a key fertilizer, to be produced directly on-site, at the farm or community level.
What we’re doing may seem difficult to imagine at first, because it challenges a system that has been centralized and controlled at a very large scale for a long time. But that is exactly why it matters.
Instead of relying on complex supply chains and external factors, the system uses electricity, water, and air to produce green ammonia on-site, where it’s utilized. That means farmers can access the same product they already use, but with more control, more predictability, and less exposure to disruption.
There are real barriers to shifting how essential commodities are produced, but there is also a clear need for more resilient and practical solutions. Decentralizing production is one of them.
At its core, FuelPositive is about proving that this can be done, and that there is a simpler, more direct way forward that benefits both people and the environment.