- Solaris Wafers, LLC was incorporated in October of 2022, and is based in Herndon, Virginia
- Demonstrated the ability to cast 175 micron thick silicon at a high casting speed equivalent to 2,400 wafers per minute.
- Developed a cost analysis for manufacturing silicon wafers, which estimates that Solaris Wafers, LLC could produce the lowest cost silicon wafers in the U.S.
- Created a Technical Advisory Board composed of experts in evaluation of cast microstructure, rapid solidification, properties of silicon wafers, solar cell design, and the effect of impurities in silicon on cell efficiency.
- Established a project team composed of experts in solidification and photovoltaics.
- Obtain Venture Capital (VC) or other funding to demonstrate casting of full size silicon wafers for high efficiency solar cells.
- Provide wafers produced by Solaris Wafers' casting process to cell manufacturers for evaluation of cell performance and efficiency.
- Based on cell customer feedback, develop plans and obtain funding to construct a pilot plant in 2027.
- 2027: Construct a wafer caster and pilot plant to cast 69 million silicon wafers that can be used by solar cell customers to generate 0.35 GW of power.
- 2028: Operate the wafer caster at 100% capacity to produce 276 million wafers for solar cells that could generate 1.4 GW of power.
- 2029: Begin expansion to manufacture wafers for cells that can generate 7 GW of power per year.
