Solar Manufacturing Technology & $7.6M Funding

Shortly following Array Technologies’ successful initial public offering – demonstrating demand for innovations that enhance solar manufacturing and installation – Leading Edge Equipment has secured funding to advance its unique silicon wafer production equipment. 

The company received $7.6 million in investment from Prime Impact Fund, Clean Energy Ventures and DSM Venturing, which it intends to utilize to expand its sales and marketing initiatives. 

For several years, the potential of kerfless, single-crystal silicon wafers has been a topic of discussion among researchers. The distinction between single-crystal and poly-crystalline wafers may be known to those following the industry, but with renewed investment in climate technology, there is optimism that this time will be different.

Current silicon wafer production involves a seven-stage process where large silicon ingots, created using energy-intensive furnaces, are sliced into wafers with wires. This method generates substantial silicon waste, demands significant energy consumption, and results in lower-quality wafers that diminish solar panel efficiency.

Leading Edge Equipment’s manufacturing process employs ribbons and the floating silicon method to streamline production into a single step, minimizing energy use and virtually eliminating waste, as stated by the company.

Leading Edge Equipment was established by Alison Greenlee, a highly educated expert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with four degrees, who contributed to the development of the floating silicon method for reducing waste in solar cell silicon manufacturing, and Peter Kellerman, the originator of floating silicon method technologies.

The pair created Leading Edge Equipment to revitalize a project that had previously been discontinued by Applied Materials after extensive research.

In 2018, they were awarded $5 million in federal grants and secured an initial $6 million in venture capital funding to initiate the technology’s development.

Leading Edge anticipates its equipment will become the industry benchmark for silicon substrate manufacturing.

Kellerman, now the emeritus chief technology officer, has been succeeded by Nathan Stoddard, an experienced silicon manufacturing technology specialist who has guided three distinct solar wafer technologies from initial concept to pilot production. Stoddard, previously a colleague of Greenlee’s at 1366 – an early pioneer in novel silicon production technologies – was convinced by Greenlee and Kellerman’s confidence in the established Applied Materials technology. 

The company asserts that its technology can halve wafer costs, boost commercial solar panel output by as much as 7%, and decrease manufacturing emissions by over 50%.

To facilitate commercialization, Rick Schwerdtfeger, a veteran innovator in solar technology with experience dating back to CIGS crystals in 1995, joined the team earlier this year. In the 2000s, Schwerdtfeger focused on scaling next-generation furnace technologies while at ARC Energy. 

“Following successful technology demonstrations and the creation of a new commercial tool, we are now prepared to introduce this technology to the market in 2021,” Schwerdtfeger stated. “With a recently acquired 31,000 square foot facility and a doubled team size, we will use this new funding to prepare for our 2021 commercial trials.”