Mpower Technology closes $21M Series B round to aid 'solar glitter' development

Mpower Technology, a solar power system maker focused on solutions for space, has captured $21 million in Series B capital to support its efforts at scaling production capacity for national security and commercial markets.

A spinout of Sandia National Laboratories, mPower was stood up to commercialize the DragonSCALES product that uses microdesign and microfabrication techniques to make miniature solar cells commonly called “solar glitter.”

These cells are seen as a less expensive alternative to others that traditionally rely on gallium arsenide, which is used in semiconductors.

Razor’s Edge Ventures led the Series B round and was joined by Shield Capital, mPower said Thursday. This round follows the Series A capital raise led by Cottonwood Technology after mPower spun out from Sandia.

Airbus, Blue Origin/Honeybee, Firefly Aerospace, Lynk Global and Gravitics rely on mPower as a solar power provider for their systems.

Mpower plans to put the Series B capital toward upgrades at a high-volume automated manufacturing line that is located at contract manufacturer Universal Instruments Corp. in Conklin, New York.

That line works to produce at least 2 megawatts of DragonSCALES modules per year.

Razor’s Edge and Shield Capital focus their investments on technologies that show potential for dual use in defense and commercial markets.