Startup To Erect Solar Power Towers Here, There, And Everywhere

Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

Energy policy in the US took a sharp U-turn this year, but innovation in the PV industry continues apace, and investor activity has been bubbling up as well. After all, the sun will continue to shine long after January 20, 2029, when the current occupant of the White House is scheduled to decamp — peacefully one hopes, this time.

Follow The Money To A New Solar Power Solution

The latest news comes from the Texas-based startup Janta Power, which launched in 2021 with the aim of marketing a modular solar power system that deploys tall 3-D racking systems to maximize the use of space, along with tracking for optimal solar exposure and integrated energy storage, too. On October 7, Janta announced that it has closed a new round of $5.5 million in seed funding to support its future growth.

The seed round is the latest in a string of fundraising activities for Janta. The company’s first major investor was the Shell venture Studio X (since relaunched as Onward). Last year, the Texas firm Mansah Capital also announced a minority investment in Janta. “The partnership, established in October 2024, is expected to accelerate Janta Power’s growth, and enhance its capacity to deliver sustainable energy projects,” Mansah explained in a press statement.

“The investment from Mansah Capital will support Janta Power in developing and deploying its innovative technology, expanding its market reach, and enhancing its ability to deliver sustainable energy solutions,” MC elaborated.

Moving forward to 2025, on July 10 the venture capital firm Ideaship (a branch of Global Technology Transfer Group) also announced an investment in Janta. “Janta Power is deploying three dimensional solar towers that feature azimuthal tracking, in challenging, land constrained areas where traditional solar farms are not possible using novel optimization technologies,” Ideaship explained.

“Designed for industrial, commercial, and utility-scale applications, these modular towers are ideal for land-constrained environments, offering a compact, high-output alternative that will accelerate the global transition to clean energy,” the firm added.

$5.5 Million For Go-Anywhere Solar Power

The $5.5 million seed round was spearheaded by the California firm MaC Venture Capital along with Georgia-based Collab Capital. “Janta Power is addressing one of the biggest challenges in renewable energy — efficiency,” MaC enthused in a brief press statement last week.

“Their 3D solar tower technology delivers up to three times the efficiency of traditional solar panels while using a fraction of the footprint, making solar power scalable for more industries and communities around the world,” MaC added.

The US solar market being somewhat shaky these days, that thing about “around the world” could come into play when Janta launches into volume production. The up-and-coming renewable energy market in Africa is one ripe possibility. Janta founder Mohammed Njie was born and raised in The Gambia before attending college at Southern Methodist University in the US. He was still a student at SMU working towards a degree in electrical engineering when he founded Janta while also organizing a series of solar and energy storage projects for schools and hospitals in The Gambia.

First Stop: Your Friendly Neighborhood Airport

Aside from attracting investor interest, Janta has also caught the eye of airport managers eager to add solar power to their portfolios without losing large amounts of operational space, while also avoiding sun glare and reflection.

In March, the multi-partner organization Airports for Innovation tapped Janta and four other firms as winners in its first innovation contest for startups. Janta Power won the “Sustainable Aviation” slot, earning the company a trial at Munich Airport and elsewhere in the 10-airport A4I network.

The other nine members of A41 are Aena, Aeroporti di Roma, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, Athens International Airport, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Dubai Airports, Munich Airport, Narita International Airport, Oman Airports and Vancouver International Airport.

If you caught that thing about the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, so did the news organization Dallas Innovates. In June, DI reporter Nicole Ward took note of Janta’s forthcoming tryout at DFW. Ward also described the company’s headquarters in Dallas. “The company moved into its own facility in the Design District the following year, where the company ‘eats its own cooking,’ so to speak,” she wrote.

“The site runs on the same solar tech it develops, and Janta is connected to the ERCOT power grid, supplying electricity to the region,” she added.

Texas & Solar Power

If Janta is looking for a home-state manufacturer to produce its solar power towers, Texas is the place to be. Despite the red-state rhetoric blasted out by some state legislators, Texas has been adding solar manufacturers to its roster hand over fist. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, just over 100 solar-related facilities are currently active in the state, including racking and other hardware as well as solar cell, solar module, and solar panel firms.

In June, the Texas Solar & Storage Association noted that at least three solar panel manufacturing firms vaulted into the state in the first half of 2025 alone: the the US branch of Turkey-based Elin Energy, Laos-based Imperial Star Solar, and the US firm SEG Solar. The Spanish firm PV Hardware. which manufactures solar trackers, also opened a factory in Texas earlier this year.

TSSA also noted that at least three additional companies have factory plans in the works, including Waaree Energies (solar panels), CZT Energy (solar parts), and Solar Plus (solar panels).

Manufacturers that already have a footprint in Texas are also contributing to the activity. Last week T1 Energy (formerly Freyr Battery), for example, announced that it has acquired a minority equity stake in a 4.8-gigawatt solar facility under construction in Baytown, Texas.

T1 already has a 5-gigawatt facility of its own in the works. The company expects that its new partnership with Talon will help accelerate the US solar market, benefiting both of them. “We are excited by the opportunity to invest in another American solar energy project that complements our G2_Austin development,” explained T1 CEO and Chairman Daniel Barcelo in a press statement dated October 10.

“Expanding the output of American solar cells is necessary to support energy security, achieve regulatory compliance and build an American solar industry based on advanced manufacturing and cutting-edge solar technology,” Barcelo added.

If all goes according to plan, the T1 facility will be ready to roll in 2026. Talon will follow shortly after, in 2027.

Photo: The Texas startup Janta aims to bring its solar power towers to commercial facilities, industrial sites, apartment buildings, and homes (courtesy of Janta Power).