Not long after achieving a 23.5% efficiency rating with its standard solar panel, Santa Clara-based startup Alta Devices is claiming to have the worlds’ lightest solar mats.
Alta Devices claims that its solar mats are more efficient, despite challenges to the claim, and the company also claims greater versatility and portability.
The company’s tiny military model is the size of a sheet of paper and only weighs 4 ounces. It also delivers 10 watts of power and meets all the requisite military reliability and durability standards.
Alta Devices has also created a larger device for the field. This one is a 20 watt, 8 ounce version that purportedly can keep a soldier supplied with power for an entire day, given strong sunlight.
The next step? The startup plans to install these efficient solar cells in consumer electronics and unmanned drones.
