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Silicor Materials produces solar silicon, a critical component for cost-effective photovoltaic cells. Their proprietary purification process drastically cuts energy consumption and eliminates hazardous chemicals compared to traditional methods. This innovative two-phase change system ensures safer, more environmentally sustainable material production.
The company began as Calisolar in 2006, co-founded by John Steinberg, its early CEO. His insight addressed the solar industry's need for specialized, low-cost silicon. After acquiring 6N Silicon in 2010, the company refined its focus, rebranding as Silicor Materials in 2012 for advanced solar silicon production.
Silicor's purified silicon reaches global manufacturers who convert it into ingots, wafers, and high-efficiency solar cells. These are then assembled into conventional modules for distributed and centralized solar applications. The company aims to accelerate global solar adoption by providing an essential, environmentally sound, and economically viable material.
Silicor Materials has raised $169.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Silicor Materials has raised $169.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Silicor Materials was a technology company specializing in the production of high-quality, low-cost solar silicon for photovoltaic (PV) applications, along with aluminum by-products. Headquartered in San Jose, California, with R&D in Berlin, Germany, and silicon purification in Ontario, Canada, it targeted solar manufacturers by producing silicon optimized for solar rather than electronic-grade polysilicon, addressing cost barriers in PV cell production.[1][2][3][4] The company served the renewable energy sector, solving the problem of expensive silicon inputs that limited scalability of solar panels, and demonstrated early growth through a 60 MW vertically integrated production facility built in Sunnyvale, California, by 2009, backed by over $282 million in venture funding.[1][3][4]
Founded in 2006 as Calisolar Inc., Silicor Materials emerged from a vision to create affordable solar-grade silicon, distinct from costlier electronic-grade material. Key founders included solar pioneer Eicke Weber, UC Berkeley Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and former director of Europe's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, alongside inventors like Anthony Buonassisi, Matthias Heuer, Andrei Istratov, Matthew Marcus, and Matthew Pickett.[1][3] The idea stemmed from Weber's expertise in solar research, aiming to vertically integrate ingot, wafer, and cell manufacturing for low-cost PV solar cells. Early traction came via venture backing from Hudson Clean Energy Partners, Advanced Technology Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, Good Energies, and others, enabling the 2009 completion of its Sunnyvale facility; it rebranded to Silicor Materials in 2012.[1][2][3][4]
Silicor rode the early 2010s solar boom, capitalizing on rising demand for affordable PV amid global pushes for renewable energy and falling panel costs. Its timing aligned with market forces like silicon price volatility and the need for utility-scale, rooftop, and solar farm deployments, positioning it to lower barriers for widespread solar adoption in energy and materials sectors.[2][5] By innovating low-cost silicon, Silicor influenced the ecosystem through supply chain efficiencies, fostering greater cell efficiencies and supporting climate solutions in photovoltaics.[1][5]
Silicor Materials exemplified ambitious early solar tech plays, but as a company referenced in past tense across sources with no activity post-2017, it likely ceased operations amid industry consolidation and price crashes. Next steps would have involved scaling purification and proving efficiency gains, shaped by trends like PERC cells and bifacials driving silicon demand. Its legacy endures in pushing cost reductions that propelled today's terawatt-scale solar ecosystem, underscoring how specialized materials innovators like Silicor fueled the global shift to renewables.[1][5]
Silicor Materials has raised $169.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Silicor Materials's investors include G20 Ventures.
Silicor Materials has raised $169.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $60.0M Series C in June 2009.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2009 | $60.0M Series C | G20 Ventures | |
| Nov 1, 2008 | $100.0M Series B | G20 Ventures | |
| May 1, 2006 | $9.0M Series A | G20 Ventures |