Batteries revolutionized electronics, enabling more powerful smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and smartwatches. But eventually, every battery runs out of power.
This situation may not last long. A startup called RadianX envisions a world where portable and edge devices can completely eliminate power cords without ever running out of battery—thanks to a better solar panel.
RadianX has developed a new solar material from the perovskite family. This material performs as well as existing solar panels outdoors but doubles the performance under indoor lighting.
“We can harvest photons of any type—whether from indoor or outdoor light—to keep the device running longer, or even continuously,” said co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Josh Douglas to TechCrunch.
The efficiency of RadianX technology in indoor environments could be key to unlocking what the company calls "edge energy"—such as an e-reader that never needs charging or an IoT sensor that never requires a battery replacement. But as with any new category, unexpected applications may emerge, including long-duration robots or wearables previously limited by battery life.
To fund a commercial production line, RadianX recently completed a $5 million seed round led by SOSV and Twynam, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. Other investors include One Small Planet, Sachsen Ventures, Avila VC, California Innovation Fund, quantumEDGE, Riceberg Ventures, and Alumni Ventures. In addition to the seed funding, Pacific Union Technology Precision Manufacturing will provide a $4 million non-dilutive investment to build a dedicated production line for the startup.
This is not a new idea—solar-powered calculators have existed for decades—but it has been overlooked in recent years because the power demands of modern devices have exceeded the capacity of traditional solar panels.
“The key is power density,” said Vivian Qu, co-founder and CEO of RadianX, to TechCrunch. “Perovskites have always been interesting because of their high power density.”
Perovskites are not a new concept, but these materials have long struggled to gain a foothold. They remain more expensive than typical silicon-based solar panels and slightly less durable, but progress has been made in recent years.
But they compensate for these shortcomings in power generation capacity—for example, RadianX’s panel measuring 1.2 meters by 0.6 meters achieves a light absorption efficiency of 22.33%, which the company says is a record-breaking high.
Durability is also not a major concern for RadianX. The company has met a key industry durability standard, and since the panels are designed for indoor use, they experience less wear and tear. The panels can be as thin as 0.7 mm and are customizable in size on demand.
To further extract power from the panels, RadianX is also developing power electronics specifically designed for perovskites. She noted that most existing electronics are tuned for silicon panels, but “the light characteristics of silicon are very different.”
Unlike many other solar companies, RadianX does not intend to sell just bare panels. “RadianX aims to bundle everything together and sell it as a hassle-free solution for device manufacturers,” said Qu.
Ultimately, Qu and Douglas hope their power solution will reach a wide range of devices, from e-readers to factory sensors, and perhaps even into areas they haven’t yet imagined.