NZGIF is lending up to $1m to Hot Lime Labs, a producer of sustainably-sourced CO2 used to increase food production in glasshouses, as part of the NZGIF Green Finance Accelerator.
The Hot Lime Labs system extracts CO2 and heat from wood waste. Wood is a renewable resource, and burning of forestry biomass is carbon-neutral. This clean source of CO2 is better for the environment than the most commonly used sources of CO2, from fossil fuels such as natural gas and liquid CO2, as well as using a resource that would otherwise be wasted.
NZGIF is providing the loan to support the rollout of additional equipment. The machines convert biomass waste to CO2 to be used in horticulture operations, displacing CO2 produced from natural gas and other fossil fuels.
“Securing a facility from NZGIF allows us to reduce the barrier for customers to access our technology, supercharging the pace at which we can make an impact for customers - and the environment," says Tijs Robinson, CEO and Co-founder, Hot Lime Labs.
GFA asset finance helps Hot Lime Labs accelerate growth
The NZGIF Green Finance Accelerator is a new initiative to accelerate growth amongst small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with a focus on decarbonisation.
The GFA offers both pipeline and asset finance. Pipeline finance provides debt funding of up to 75% of the cost of goods sold for a growing pipeline of committed customers or projects. Asset finance provides funding for revenue-generating assets of up to 75% of the value of the asset.