Sun shines on Solaria as solar panel maker raises another $30 million

The future is looking bright for solar panel maker Solaria. The company just raised $30 million according to documents filed today with the SEC. Solaria makes crystaline solar panels and is based in Fremont, CA, with operations in Germany and the Philippines.

The advantage crystaline solar panels have over thin film (the more popular manufacturing technique) is they rely on optical concentrators which can deliver 30 percent more output from the same amount of surface area. Solaria power modules have a 14 percent efficiency rating, while the most efficient solar panels in ready supply throughout California are rated at 15.64 percent efficiency, according to SROeCo. Solar panel efficiency is calculated by dividing the power output in watts by the surface area of a cell.

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Solaria solar modules are built for solar collectors which follow the sun’s movement throughout the day in order to harvest the maximum possible amount of energy.

Previous Solaria investors include Sigma Partners and Moserbaer India. The company raised $65 million in a Series D in September of 2010.

VentureBeat contacted Solaria for a comment on the funding announcement. No one was made available at press time. We will update with any comment.