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    Indoor-powered Solar Cell firm Ambient Photonics breaks ground on California Manufacturing plant

    Nov. 9, 2022
    Ambient will produce high power density solar cells which, it says, can reduce the carbon footprint of connected device products as much as 80 percent by eliminating disposable batteries
    Image credit Kaitlyn McAllister
    Ambient Photonics groundbreaking in Scotts Valley.
    Ambient Photonics groundbreaking in Scotts Valley.

    Low-light solar cell startup Ambient Photonics has opened its new headquarters in Scotts Valley, California, and now plans to build and operate a manufacturing plant there.

    The company ceremonially broke ground on its 43,000-square-foot manufacturing plant earlier this month. The Ambient Fab 1 facility will make low-light indoor solar cells utilizing production equipment from Manz AG.

    The facility could begin deliveries by the first half of 2023. Many of its customers would include companies in the consumer electronics and Internet of Things sectors.

    “The legacy of battery waste in consumer electronics has become the barrier to achieving the dream of a connected, IoT world,” Ambient CEO Bates Marshall said in a statement. “Ambient’s technology addresses the growing environmental impact of disposable batteries head on.”

    Between the Scotts Valley headquarters and planned manufacturing facility, Ambient hopes to employ about 100 people by this time next year.

    Ambient will produce high power density solar cells which, it says, can reduce the carbon footprint of connected device products as much as 80 percent by eliminating disposable batteries. The automated manufacturing system would use industrial printing processes to deposit the PV molecules on thin, durable glass substrates, according to the company.

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    These cells do not require direct sunlight but can use ambient lighting to generate the electricial energy required for a wide range of applications, according to the firms. Engineering firm Manz AG will deliver the production solutions.

    “Manz services the world’s largest manufacturing leaders, and Ambient’s investment in our highly specialized production solutions proves their commitment to high-volume, high-quality production,” Manz AG CEO Martin Drasch said in a statement. “We are delighted to join Ambient in its journey of Smart Home and Internet of Things market innovation.”

    The Ambient manufacturing plant also will have rooftop and parking canopy solar PV panels installed to deliver on-site, carbon-free energy for the facility.

    In May, Ambient announced a successful Series A funding round, totaling $31 million from Amazon via its Climate Pledge Fund, as well as Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Future Shape and I Squared Capital.  

    About the Author

    Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor | Senior Editor

    For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].

    Rod Walton has spent 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

    He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.

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