This week, we covered the following news and you may read them in detail by visiting the links given below.

U.S. Small Business Administration Announces 10 new Grant Opportunities Worth $1.5M

The administrator of U.S. Small Business Administration Isabella Casillas Guzman announced availability of $1.5 million for 10 new grant opportunities for established Minority Serving Institutions aspiring to host a Women’s Business Center (WBC) to provide local outcome-oriented business services for women entrepreneurs. The announcement came in connection to celebrations related to Black History Month.

California Utilities Commission Backs Off from the Solar Tax Proposal

California Pubic Utilities Commission (CPUC) has backed off from implementing a proposal called NEM (Net Energy Metering) 3.0 according to which existing solar energy owners/consumers in California would have to pay a grid access charge, an $8/kW solar capacity charge per month. CPUC’s decision came after solar consumers, solar power advocacy groups, and solar power companies mounted a blitz of public campaigning and protests against the proposal

StratosFuel Receives $3M from Cal Energy Commission to Build Alternate Fuel Stations

StratosFuel, based out of San Bernardino, California received $3M from Cal Energy Commission to Build Alternate Fuel Stations. The California Energy Commission (CEC) announced a grant for “Renewable Hydrogen Transportation Fuel Production” on April 9, 2021. This grant application was an offer to support the building of hydrogen production facilities that will create sustainable hydrogen transportation fuel using renewable resources from inside the state. 

Lithium Valley Commission: A Gatekeeper of Lithium Reserves in the Golden State

The Lithium Valley Commission (LVC) is created as part of California’s Energy Commission to explore the possibility of producing lithium batteries in California. The Lithium Valley Commission has been ordered to evaluate, explore, and analyze potential and advantages for lithium recovery and usage in the state, given the possibility of developing lithium from geothermal brine in the Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area. 

Winners of Riverside Angel Summit: FarmSense and SiLi-ion, Inc. Get $42K Each

Two startups from the Inland Empire, FarmSense and SiLi-ion won $42K each after the Riverside Angel Summit gave an investment award of $80K split in half between the two winners. The angel summit is “a partnership between UC Riverside, the City of Riverside, and community members“, writes Holly Ober in UCR News. The Riverside Angel Summit was organized by the University of California Riverside and supported by a US Economic Development Administration 2019 Seed Fund Support Grant. It began on September 1, 2021, and ended on January 10, 2022, with investment awards.

Gov. Newsom’s California Blueprint Bets on Clean Energy

California Blueprint Budget includes $2 billion ($2.035 billion General Fund) over two years for a Clean Energy Investment Plan.

• Long Duration Storage—
• Green Hydrogen
• Industrial Decarbonization
• Food Production Investment
• Oroville Pump Storage
• Low-Income Weatherization Program—$25 million
• Community Resilience Centers Program—$25 million

Upcoming Meetups & Meetings

• Beers And Bitcoin In Beaumont Meetup – Mon Feb 21

• Tech-O-Tuesday – Tue Feb 22 Https://Www.Meetup.Com/Techo_tuesday/Events/Xnvmqqydcdbdc/

• Multi Robot Club Online Zoom Meeting! – Sat Feb 26 Https://Csulb.Zoom.Us/J/104177235?Pwd=Uutbnm1va1pxl3ftzhljs0pnmnvvqt09

• The Sustainable Business Initiative By Evolve Business Center – Feb 26 & Feb 27 Https://dev.startempirewire.com/Evolv-Business-Development-Center-Introduces-The-Sustainable-Business-Initiative-2-Day-Workshop-In-Ontario-California-February-26-27-2022/

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Author: Editorial Staff

We are the team behind the production and publishing of the best articles & content for the Startempire Wire Community. Our role is to curate what is relevant, helpful & timely so that you can be best informed of all of the happenings for startups, people & events locally.