Amazon Invests in U.S. Solar Cell Production Facility
May 25, 2022
Ambient Photonics will build a fully automated manufacturing facility dedicated to the production of solar cells used to power consumer electronics.
Ambient Photonics has raised $31 million in Series A funding for a solar cell production facility. The round was led by Amazon through its Climate Pledge Fund, with participation from the Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Future Shape and I Squared Capital.
Ambient Photonics has developed a unique low-light energy-harvesting photovoltaic (PV) technology that it reports can generate up to three times the power of conventional technologies. Its cells are fabricated using an industrial printing process that applies proprietary energy-harvesting particles onto a durable, thin glass substrate to create cells of virtually any size and shape.
Ambient said its rapid production process is efficient, scalable and less expensive than semiconductor vacuum manufacturing methods. Ambient partners with global smart home and Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers to create embedded solar cells. The technology is said to provide the power density of ambient light over a wider spectral range.
Smart home and IoT devices are powered by embedded solar cells, eliminating the need for batteries, reducing waste to landfills.
Matt Peterson, director of Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, said: "Disposable batteries are both an inconvenience to consumers and a major environmental concern. We're excited to invest in Ambient through the Climate Pledge Fund to help them create innovative solutions to reduce industry The carbon footprint of battery-powered devices across industries.”
Sasha Brown, Partner at EIF, said: "We believe Ambient has the potential to facilitate more sustainable systems for a variety of growing industries around the world, including consumer electronics, smart home and the Internet of Things. Ambient's technology provides the first for these devices. A viable solution to cost-effectively power them with clean, renewable energy.”
Ambient will also advance the application for its second tranche of $162 million in loan guarantees under the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Chapter 17 Loan Guarantee Program. The facility is expected to provide hundreds of local jobs while reducing Scope 3 emissions.
Tony Fadell, founder of Nest and author of Build, said: "IoT sensors are everywhere. And every sensor has a battery of toxic waste that needs to be replaced. Ambient Photonics' revolutionary low-light solar cells allow us to take the holy grail. : Wireless IoT networks without batteries.”
Amazon has launched the Climate Commitment Fund with $2 billion in funding to support the development of sustainable technologies and services that will allow Amazon and other companies to meet climate goals, a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded the pledge, dubbed the "Climate Pledge," which includes a commitment to meet the Paris Agreement goals 10 years ahead of schedule. Verizon, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) and Infosys also joined the commitment.
