CalSEED Story: Solving Solar with Leap Photovoltaics

Solar manufacturing has moved overseas in the last 15 years. As companies raced to cut costs, production became concentrated—just two companies now produce over 90% of the world’s solar wafers, and five companies account for about 80% of solar cells.

“This concentration creates serious bottlenecks and problems for energy security, manufacturing, and customers,” says David Berney Needleman, Leap Photovoltaics co-founder.

Leap’s solution? A completely new approach to making solar cells that could help U.S. manufacturing compete globally on cost, performance, and sustainability.

Instead of using traditional silicon wafers, which are thick, fragile, and energy-intensive, Leap applies a thin layer of silicon powder through an additive process.

“We use about 90% less silicon and 70% less energy to make solar cells,” explains Needleman. “This means we can produce them in the U.S. at roughly half the cost of imported wafer-based cells.”

The efficiency gains come from eliminating waste. Traditional wafers are three times thicker than needed for energy conversion—that extra thickness only exists so they don’t break during manufacturing. Leap’s powder approach eliminates this problem.