Alta Devices
Alta Devices was a U.S. specialty photovoltaic company known for high-efficiency gallium-arsenide solar cells and lightweight modules.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Alta Devices was a United States-based photovoltaic technology company specializing in gallium-arsenide (GaAs) thin-film solar cells and modules. Founded in 2007 by semiconductor researchers Eli Yablonovitch and Harry Atwater, the company pursued a class of photovoltaic products aimed at applications in which efficiency, mass, form factor, or performance in constrained environments mattered more than the lowest possible cost per installed watt. Its technology base was associated with advanced solar research and was particularly relevant to lightweight and flexible power systems. GaAs can deliver very high conversion efficiency and strong performance relative to its area and mass, but it is substantially more expensive and difficult to manufacture at scale than conventional crystalline-silicon photovoltaics. Alta Devices therefore did not primarily compete as a supplier for ordinary utility-scale or residential rooftop installations. Instead, it developed products for specialized markets including mobile devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, solar-powered vehicles, electric vehicles, aerospace systems, and other platforms where available surface area or payload weight is limited. The company’s public technology descriptions emphasized single-junction GaAs cells, flexible photovoltaic products, and modules intended for integration into nontraditional surfaces. Alta Devices became known for reporting a series of photovoltaic efficiency achievements. Its single-junction cells were reported to have reached 29.1% conversion efficiency in testing certified by Fraunhofer ISE CalLab. The company also reported a 30.8% efficiency result in 2013 and later achieved a record for a dual-junction indium gallium phosphide/gallium arsenide tandem cell in 2016, with certification by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. These achievements supported the company’s positioning as a high-performance solar specialist rather than a mass-market module manufacturer. Hanergy, a privately held Chinese renewable-energy group, acquired Alta Devices in 2013. After the transaction, Alta Devices operated within Hanergy’s thin-film solar business structure while continuing to be associated with high-efficiency GaAs photovoltaic technology. Publicly described development relationships and application areas included testing by NASA for possible International Space Station use and work with Audi on solar roofs for automobiles. The technology was also presented as relevant to solar cars and unmanned aircraft. The company ceased operations in 2019, reportedly closing without advance public notice. As a result, Alta Devices is best treated as a defunct photovoltaic technology brand rather than an active independent supplier. Its legacy rests on the development and commercialization efforts surrounding high-efficiency GaAs photovoltaics, its efficiency records, and its attempted expansion of lightweight solar power into aerospace, mobility, and other specialized applications.
History
Alta Devices was founded in 2007 by Eli Yablonovitch and Harry Atwater as a photovoltaic technology company focused on gallium-arsenide solar cells. The founders’ research background informed a strategy centered on pushing the efficiency and power-to-weight performance of thin-film photovoltaics. Rather than targeting the lowest-cost silicon markets, Alta Devices sought applications where high output from a small or lightweight surface could justify the higher cost of GaAs materials and manufacturing. The company developed single-junction gallium-arsenide cells, flexible photovoltaic products, and related modules. GaAs was attractive because it can provide high conversion efficiency and favorable performance in demanding environments, although its cost and production complexity limit its use in ordinary mass-market solar installations. Alta Devices consequently emphasized mobile and specialty applications, including unmanned aerial vehicles, solar-powered cars, electric vehicles, aerospace systems, and other platforms with strict area or weight constraints. Alta Devices gained attention through reported efficiency records. Its public achievements included a 30.8% single-junction result reported in 2013 and a 29.1% conversion-efficiency claim certified by Fraunhofer ISE CalLab. In 2016, it reported a record for a dual-junction InGaP/GaAs tandem cell, with certification attributed to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. These accomplishments helped establish the company as a specialist in high-efficiency compound-semiconductor photovoltaics. The company was acquired by Hanergy Group in 2013. Hanergy was a privately held Chinese renewable-energy group with interests in thin-film solar technologies, and the acquisition brought Alta Devices into a larger corporate platform. Following the transaction, public descriptions continued to associate Alta Devices with GaAs cells and modules. Its technology was discussed in connection with NASA testing for the International Space Station and with work with Audi on solar roofs for automobiles. The company also presented its products as suitable for solar cars, unmanned aircraft, and other electric or aerospace vehicles. Alta Devices ceased operations in 2019. Reports described the shutdown as occurring without public notice, and there is no reliable evidence in the supplied reference material that the brand continued as an independent operating manufacturer afterward. Alta Devices is therefore recorded as defunct. Its historical importance lies in attempting to move exceptionally efficient GaAs photovoltaics beyond laboratory research into flexible, lightweight, and application-specific commercial products.
- 2019
Operations ended
[1]Alta Devices ceased operations and was reported to have shut down without advance notice.
- 2018
Photonics innovation award finalist
[1]Alta Devices was named a finalist for the 2019 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation, determined by SPIE and Photonics Media.
- 2016
Dual-junction efficiency record
[1]The company reported a world record for a dual-junction InGaP/GaAs tandem solar cell.
- 2013
Hanergy acquisition
[1]Hanergy Group acquired Alta Devices and integrated it into its thin-film solar business.
- 2013
Reported 30.8% single-junction efficiency
[1]Alta Devices reported a 30.8% conversion-efficiency result for a single-junction solar cell.
- 2007
Alta Devices founded
[1]Eli Yablonovitch and Harry Atwater founded Alta Devices to develop high-efficiency gallium-arsenide photovoltaic technology.
Products and positioning
High-efficiency, lightweight, and flexible photovoltaic technology for aerospace, mobility, unmanned aircraft, mobile devices, and other applications constrained by mass, area, or form factor.
Thin-film photovoltaics
Gallium-arsenide solar cells
Alta Devices’ core technology used gallium arsenide as the photovoltaic conversion material. The cells were developed for high conversion efficiency and strong power-to-weight performance, making them relevant to specialized applications where surface area, payload mass, or operating conditions were more important than the lowest module cost.
Flexible photovoltaics
Flexible solar modules
These lightweight module concepts applied GaAs thin-film cells to flexible or nontraditional form factors. They were intended for surfaces and platforms that could not easily accommodate conventional rigid silicon panels, including mobile, automotive, aerospace, and unmanned-vehicle applications.
Multi-junction photovoltaics · 2016
InGaP/GaAs tandem solar cells
Alta Devices developed tandem cells combining indium gallium phosphide and gallium arsenide junctions. The architecture was designed to capture a broader portion of the solar spectrum and supported the company’s reported 2016 dual-junction efficiency record.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2016
Advance to dual-junction InGaP/GaAs photovoltaicsOtherBackground
The company’s earlier work had established a focus on high-efficiency single-junction GaAs cells.
Action taken
Alta Devices developed and reported a dual-junction tandem cell using indium gallium phosphide and gallium arsenide.
Aftermath
The result was described as a world efficiency record and reinforced Alta Devices’ position as a compound-semiconductor photovoltaic specialist.
2013
Join Hanergy’s thin-film solar platformM&ABackground
Alta Devices was developing high-efficiency GaAs photovoltaics but operated in a capital-intensive specialty market that differed from mainstream silicon solar manufacturing.
Action taken
The company was acquired by Hanergy Group and continued within Hanergy’s broader thin-film solar business system.
Aftermath
Public materials continued to identify Alta Devices with GaAs cells, flexible modules, and specialized applications including aerospace and automotive solar systems.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Alta Devices layoffs and factory closure[3]
Reported:
A source said Alta Devices' factory closed without notice and 250 employees lost wages, leave, sick leave and expense reimbursements; the source also noted that U.S. law requires 60 days' notice before a factory closure and mass layoffs.
Sources3 sources
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