Photo: Air Canada Twitter.

Electrifying ground handling equipment part of YVR's net zero by 2030 ambitions.

B.C. clean-tech companies will be given the chance to test out their technologies at Vancouver International Airport , thanks to $11.5 million in funding from the B.C. government.

The funding will be used to create the Integrated Marketplace Initiative, the aim of which is “to identify business needs and source and test made-in-B.C. clean-technology solutions that reduce greenhouses gases,” the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation says in a press release.

“This will provide small B.C. clean-tech companies with a platform to test their innovation on real-world challenges, while B.C. industry gets help solving challenging business problems,” the release says. “This will result in domestic customers for B.C. clean-tech companies and proof of concept to support scale up and export of B.C. innovation.”

YVR is not responsible for emissions from airlines that use the airport -- just its own. YVR already offsets its own emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets. Its goal is to produce zero emissions by 2030, and has committed $135 million over 10 years towards achieving that goal.

"The Integrated Marketplace Initiative begins with YVR as its initial testbed, to support its goal to transition airfield vehicles, primarily ground-handling equipment, such as baggage tractors, belt loaders and stair trucks, from diesel to electric power," the release says.