CSIT Awards $3.6M+ Through Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program

14 NJ Clean Tech Startups Poised to Receive Funding to Test & Validate Their Technologies

TRENTON, N.J. (July 11, 2023) – The Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT) has awarded over $3.6 million to 14 New Jersey startups through its Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program. The competitive program supports clean technology businesses that have existing prototypes of their technologies and are ready to validate them in a real-world setting.

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.

Funding for the Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program is being provided by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU). The program both helps to meet plans laid out in New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan (EMP) and plants roots for new clean energy innovation in New Jersey. The EMP offers a strategic vision for the production, distribution, consumption, and conservation of energy in the State of New Jersey.

The following startups were awarded funding through the program:

• 4.0 Analytics, Inc (energy efficiency/transportation) – Newark, Essex County
• BRISEA Group, Inc. (energy efficiency, advanced materials) – Parsippany, Morris County
• Consolidated Energy Design Inc. (energy efficiency/green buildings) – Eatontown, Monmouth County
• Energy Research Company (energy efficiency, energy generation waste processing) – Plainfield, Union County
• Farm to Flame Energy Inc. (energy distribution/storage) – West Orange, Essex County
• Gridless Power Corporation (energy distribution/storage) – Pennsauken, Camden County
• HiT Nano Inc. (energy distribution/storage) – Bordentown, Burlington County
• Neutroelectric LLC dba BECQ (energy distribution/storage) – Camden, Camden County
• Wahaj Solar USA Inc dba WeSolar CSP (energy distribution/storage) – Princeton, Mercer County
• Swind Power LLC (energy generation) – Princeton, Mercer County
• PolyGone Systems, Inc (chemicals/advanced materials) – Princeton, Mercer County
• Princeton NuEnergy Inc. (chemicals/advanced materials) – Bordentown, Burlington County
• SunRay Scientific (chemicals/advanced materials) – Eatontown, Monmouth County
• GeoGreens (water, agriculture) – Chesilhurst, Camden County

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,” said CSIT Executive Officer Judith Sheft. “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 (NJEDA) and the NJBPU on this initiative to help get clean technology in New Jersey to the next step.”

“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,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “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 Governor Phil Murphy’s clean energy goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy by 2035.”

Innovation spurring from awardees announced today include a power source that doesn’t require connection to the grid, an indoor farm that uses 80 to 90 percent less water than traditional farming, and next-generation, low-cost and high-performance lithium ion (Li-ion) battery materials and energy storage systems, among many others.

“The broad array of technologies being created by our grantees showcases New Jersey’s growing role as a leader in innovation,” said CSIT Chair Debbie Hart. “We knew that there was a significant need for this funding by startups statewide, given the vast number of our portfolio companies that have some form of prototype. We are pleased to support more than a dozen startups through this program.”

“As we plan for a clean energy future it is vitally important we provide support for startups that can create the technologies to help make the goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2035 a reality,” said NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “Further, connecting clean tech startups with funding needed to validate their technologies is an important step toward creating the green economy that Governor Murphy champions. We look forward to hearing about grantees’ successful testing and validation in the future.”

The Pilot Clean Tech Demonstration Grant Program is the latest in a series of resources available to New Jersey startups growing within the state’s green economy. This program complements other CSIT clean tech-focused programs including the Clean Technology Seed Grant and Clean Tech Research & Development Voucher Programs. The NJEDA also offers funding to support companies as they advance through their lifecycle, including the New Jersey Clean Energy Loans program and the New Jersey Zero-emission Incentive Program.

About CSIT

In August 2018, Governor Murphy signed legislation re-establishing the former New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology as the CSIT. Comprised of representatives from the public and private sectors, as well as academia, the Commission is tasked with leading the way in promoting the State as a home for academic and technological research, development, and commercialization.

To learn more about NJEDA resources for businesses, call NJEDA Customer Care at 844-965-1125 or visit https://www.njeda.gov and follow @NewJerseyEDA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

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