Ambient Photonics, the manufacturer of low-light solar PV cells used to power Internet of things (IoT) and connected devices, raised a $31 million Series A financing, the company said.
Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Ecosystem Integrity Fund led the round with Nest founder Tony Fadell’s Future Shape and I Squared Capital participating.
The financing will be used to build a U.S.-based low-light solar cell production facility with an automated production line capable of producing millions of units per year.
“The future of IoT and connected devices is energy harvesting, and that future requires massive scale,” said Ambient CEO Bates Marshall.
Ambient says its low-light energy harvesting PV technology generates as much as three times more power than conventional technology, harvesting energy across the entire light spectrum — both artificial and natural light.
The company said its PV technology allows partners to reduce the carbon footprint of battery-powered devices by up to 80%.
Ambient will also continue to progress its Part II application for a $162 million loan guarantee under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program.
Ambient was founded in 2019 in California with the goal of bringing low light energy harvesting technology to mass scale.