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A series exploring how Innovate BC-supported projects are helping organizations solve real-world challenges through made-in-B.C. innovation.
Victoria-based clean technology company Mostar Labs is working to address a persistent challenge facing remote coastal operations: access to reliable, low-emission power. Through its LilyPad platform, the company is developing a modular, floating renewable energy system that combines clean energy generation, battery storage, communications, and adaptable payloads to support a wide range of marine and coastal applications.
Technologies like LilyPad are being supported through Innovate BC’s Integrated Marketplace Platform, a continuum of growth and commercialization programming designed to help organizations test, deploy and scale innovative solutions. Mostar has participated in multiple Integrated Marketplace Platform programs, including the COAST Innovation Challenge (CIC) and the Early-Stage Demonstration Call (ESDC), helping advance and validate the LilyPad platform through real-world demonstration opportunities.
Innovate BC’s President and CEO, Peter Cowan, spoke with Meiz Madjoub, Founder & CEO of Mostar, about the company’s technology, the importance of real-world demonstration opportunities, and how Integrated Marketplace Platform programming is helping accelerate innovation in British Columbia’s marine sector.
Remote coastal operations often face unique energy challenges. Can you tell us about the problem Mostar is working to solve and why it matters for coastal communities and marine industries?
MM: Much of our coastal infrastructure was built for a different era. Today, ports, Coast Guard stations, marine researchers, aquaculture operators, and remote coastal communities are being asked to support electrification, climate resilience, environmental monitoring, and new technologies – often in places where permanent infrastructure is difficult, expensive, or simply impossible to build.
That’s the challenge our technology LilyPad was created to solve. By bringing infrastructure directly to where it is needed, it provides a flexible alternative to traditional diesel-powered systems while supporting applications such as vessel charging, environmental monitoring, emergency response, and remote scientific operations.
What opportunity did your team see for the LilyPad, and how do you see solutions like this supporting the future of marine operations?
MM: One of the biggest opportunities we see is helping ports and marinas navigate the transition to electrification with far less risk. Many organizations know they’ll need to invest in electric vessel charging and supporting infrastructure, but it’s difficult to predict where demand will emerge, how much capacity they’ll need, or how quickly adoption will happen.
LilyPad allows them to deploy that infrastructure now, test different locations and use cases, gather real-world operational data, and better understand energy demand before making significant investments in permanent assets. In many ways, it gives ports the ability to pilot before they build. We believe that’s the future of marine infrastructure – flexible, deployable, and data-driven – allowing organizations to start learning, operating, and decarbonizing today while making smarter long-term investment decisions for tomorrow.
Mostar has participated in multiple Integrated Marketplace Platform programs. How have those opportunities complemented one another, and what has it meant for your ability to advance and validate the LilyPad platform?
MM: The COAST Innovation Challenge helped us further develop the LilyPad platform alongside an end user operating in some of Canada’s most challenging marine environments. The Early-Stage Demonstration Call is the natural next step. Working with Victoria International Marina, we’re moving beyond development and into commercial validation, collecting the performance data and operational insights needed to prepare for broader deployment.
Together, these initiatives represent a deliberate progression from solving a government-identified challenge to proving the technology in a commercial setting. That’s a critical step because customers aren’t just investing in a product – they’re investing in confidence.
Demonstrating new technologies in marine environments can be challenging, particularly in remote coastal settings. How important are opportunities like these in helping companies move from a promising solution to broader adoption?
MM: They’re absolutely essential. The marine industry is understandably cautious when it comes to adopting new technology. Infrastructure investments are significant, assets are expected to perform for decades, and reliability is critical.
Demonstration projects through Integrated Marketplace Platform programs allow companies like ours to prove how a technology performs in real operating conditions while giving customers the opportunity to evaluate its value before making longer-term investment decisions. Ultimately, innovation scales when customers can adopt new technologies with confidence, and real-world demonstrations play a critical role in building that confidence.
The post How Mostar Labs Is Bringing Clean Energy Infrastructure to the Coast appeared first on Techcouver.com.
How Mostar Labs Is Bringing Clean Energy Infrastructure to the Coast was first posted on July 28, 2026 at 5:00 am.
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