Infinia manufactures satellite-like parabolic dishes called PowerDishes that concentrate sunlight onto a small point to drive a Stirling engine and produce electricity. The PowerDish uses mirrors to focus light; the resulting heat creates a temperature differential in a Stirling engine, causing helium to expand and contract, push a piston, and generate power. According to an SEC filing the company has raised $6 million of a planned $25 million funding round. Earlier this year Infinia secured a $30 million loan from the Export-Import Bank to build dishes intended to generate 10 megawatts of electricity for customers in India. The company has a history of venture financing, including a $50 million round in 2008 and earlier raises in 2007 and 2005. In April the company hired Mike Ward as chief executive. Infinia develops utility-scale renewable energy systems that pair a Stirling engine with large solar collectors to generate electricity. Its current product is a 14-foot diameter solar collector that drives a Stirling engine to produce about 3.5 kilowatts per unit, with units priced at roughly $20,000 each. The company says arrays of 50–100 units can deliver the output of a small power plant and that its free-moving, lubricant-free piston design is engineered to run for 20 years with no maintenance. Infinia emphasizes manufacturability, designing engines to be assembled from common mass-produced parts by auto-parts suppliers. The technology has prior heritage — the company (formerly Stirling Cycles) has designed Stirling engines for NASA missions, implantable artificial hearts, and army cooling devices — and the team projects electricity costs 20–30% below current solar panels and competitive with gas or coal during peak demand. The company raised new capital to scale manufacturing and drive commercial deployment.

Total raised

$56M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Aug 2011