Iris Technology Corporation has announced that it has won a contract from the Marine Corps Systems Command for the initial phase of Solar Power Adaptor - Generation II (SPA II). The entire contract, to be implemented incrementally, is for six years with a maximum value of $42 million.

"We welcome the opportunity to team up with the U.S. Marine Corps again to deliver this groundbreaking man-portable solar power system. The next generation StarPower controller at the heart of the SPA II is a major technological advancement in solar charging, power management and distribution," said Iris Technology President and Chief Executive Officer Edward O'Rourke.

"By incorporating elements from our extremely compact, highly successful Merlin family of radio power adapters, our new StarPower sets the standard in solar power controller performance."

O'Rourke added that, based completely on Iris Technology's software platform, StarPower is able to address any rechargeable battery chemistry, now and in the anticipated future. Natively, it powers virtually all tactical radios. StarPower accepts any DC input source from 9 to 44 VDC, charges multi-chemistry batteries and provides up to 400 W output power.

Iris Technology Corporation's turnkey solar power systems have been garnering significant national attention lately. O'Rourke was honored as a "Champions of Change" in innovations for renewable energy at the White House in April 2012 for advancing new ideas that are leading the way to a clean energy future and an economy that's built to last.

SPA II is the next generation version of the highly successful Iris Technology Solar Portable Alternative Communications Energy System (SPACES), an innovative family of mobile solar power and power distribution products. SPACES has been lauded as a life-saver in combat zones reducing the number of re-supply trucks needed and the number and weight of batteries each Marine has to carry on his or her mission.