Well, not so white — as in snowy — yet, but certainly north. And Great, I should add. It is, however, starting to getting pretty cool these days. Maybe it’s because the federal Conservatives were re-elected? Hmmm…

Below is a wrap-up of news from Lignol Energy, Wal-Mart Canada, Enbridge, VRB Power, and 6N Silicon, ending with my suggestion of three cleantech/energy books that are good reads.

Lignol and Suncor Energy, looking like a couple still trying to “get to know” each other, look as if they’re warming to the idea of a closer bond. The two companies announced they will work more closely on cellulosic ethanol research and plans to development a full-scale commercial plant. This is an important relationship for Lignol considering Suncor’s market clout and its pioneering production of ethanol in the Canadian market.

Wal-Mart Canada has decided to begin recycling polystyrene foam from product packaging. It has struck a relationship with Grace Canada, which will recycle the foam using a proprietary process and turn it into fire-resistant commercial insulation for the building market. W. R. Grace & Co., the parent company of Grace Canada, has three plants in North America, including one in Ajax, Ontario, that has been recycling polystyrene foam since 1997. The Ajax plant can alone can process 4 million pounds of foam annually. Wal-Mart will begin the recycling program at eight of its stores in Southern Ontario. What’s less certain is whether this program applies only to in-store generated packaging waste, or if the stores will accept packaging from customers who buy its products.

Enbridge has finally cut the ribbon on its “Direct Fuel Cell-Energy Recovery Generation” system, which produces 2.2 megawatts of low-emission electricity. It’s the first multi-megawatt commercial fuel cell to operate in Canada, and as a hybrid energy system is the first of its kind in the world. I first wrote about this project back in April 2007. You can read that article for more details on how the system works. It’s pretty cool, actually.

Flow-battery maker VRB Power Systems announced that it is a “potential supplier” of two 60-kilowatt, 4-hour flow battery systems that would be used to store power from a wind farm in Nova Scotia. This comes three weeks after Vancouver-based VRB said it was conducting an engineering design study for a “large scale” storage system in Alaska. I’m a big fan of the potential of flow batteries for utility-scale energy storage, but I’m disappointed — as I’m sure many observers are — with the progress that VRB has made. Announcements of being a “potential supplier” of tiny pilot projects are getting tired. When is this company going to do something significant? I’ve got a feeling it will run out of money before that day happens, but one can hope.

6N Silicon has begun operation of its 2,000-tonne a year solar grade silicon manufacturing facility in Vaughan, just north of Toronto. The facility was constructed on time and on budget — very impressive.

On a final note, here are three books I’m either reading or planning to read soon, in case anyone is interested. Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat and Crowded is so far an excellent read (though one or two chapters are a bit alarmist). Next on my list is the Green Collar Economy, by activist Van Jones. The title speaks for itself, and interesting is that it just made it onto the New York Times bestsellers list for non-fiction hardcover — debuting at No. 12. Finally, for those interested in how the Alberta oil sands are turning Canada into a petrostate (or already have), I’m just about to crack the spin on Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent, by Canadian journalist Andrew Nikiforuk. I heard Andrew interviewed yesterday on CBC Radio and his new book sounds both enlightening and frightening.

Have I mentioned that the U.S. wants to eat Canada’s lunch when it comes to creating green-collar jobs and manufacturing? By sitting back and reaping the short-term rewards of being a petrostate, and at the same time underestimating the green economy being built around us, we’re ripping off future generations.