Fourteen New Jersey startups have been awarded a total of more than $3.6 million through the Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program, the Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology reported.
The Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program provides grants of up to $250,000 to help startups develop their technologies focused on creating a cleaner and greener future for New Jersey. Funding received through the program can be used for testing and validating technological performance at demonstration and/or customer sites.
The program supports clean technology businesses that have existing prototypes of their technologies and are ready to validate them in a real-world setting.
Innovation spurring from awardees include a power source that doesn’t require connection to the grid, an indoor farm that uses 80-90% less water than traditional farming and next-generation, low-cost and high-performance lithium ion battery materials and energy storage systems, among many others.
Funding for the Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program is being provided by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
The following startups were awarded funding through the program:
- 4.0 Analytics Inc. (energy efficiency/transportation), Newark,;
- BRISEA Group Inc. (energy efficiency, advanced materials), Parsippany;
- Consolidated Energy Design Inc. (energy efficiency/green buildings), Eatontown;
- Energy Research Co. (energy efficiency, energy generation waste processing), Plainfield;
- Farm to Flame Energy Inc. (energy distribution/storage), West Orange;
- Gridless Power Corp. (energy distribution/storage), Pennsauken;
- HiT Nano Inc. (energy distribution/storage), Bordentown;
- Neutroelectric LLC dba BECQ (energy distribution/storage), Camden;
- Wahaj Solar USA Inc. dba WeSolar CSP (energy distribution/storage), Princeton;
- Swind Power LLC (energy generation), Princeton;
- PolyGone Systems Inc. (chemicals/advanced materials), Princeton;
- Princeton NuEnergy Inc. (chemicals/advanced materials), Bordentown;
- SunRay Scientific (chemicals/advanced materials), Eatontown;
- GeoGreens (water, agriculture), Chesilhurst.
In keeping with CSIT’s mission to support the state’s smallest companies, each of the awardees had fewer than 25 employees at the time of application, with all but three having fewer than 10 employees.
“Fostering opportunities for startups to succeed and impact the marketplace has been our top priority from Day 1,” CSIT Executive Officer Judith Sheft said. “Through the awards announced today, we are getting funding into the hands of entrepreneurs and innovators to further their important work in the clean technology space. We are pleased to collaborate with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the NJBPU on this initiative to help get clean technology in New Jersey to the next step.”
EDA CEO Tim Sullivan said the impact could be huge.
“The clean energy transition is inevitable, and, especially in New Jersey, it is exciting to see the continued momentum for clean energy technologies and companies that in turn will grow the industry while helping create a greener future in the Garden State,” he said. “In addition to providing critically necessary funding to startups as they advance their technologies, the Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program will also help progress Gov. Phil Murphy’s clean energy goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2035.”
