We have been working on fabrication of our next-generation solar cell, with new materials’ processing method that has recently shown us promising results.  Naturally, the current pandemic has affected the manner of our work, and the stay-at-home order issued by the State of California on March 19, 2020, and similar actions across other regions, led to some of our outside technical contractors and vendors to slow down or stop working.  

We are happy to update, that with strict new operating work guidelines, many of our outside technical contractors and vendor are open for business or planning to do so.

Recent results from diagnostic testing through Pennsylvania State University, confirmed that our internal processing (see June 4 update) is on the right path, though this method will need to continue further improvement, development and refinement.

We were also just notified of the reopening of an outside technical contractor in California (an industry veteran and expert in this type of materials processing).  This development effort is a parallel process that mirrors the goal of the internal efforts mentioned in the June 4 update. To accelerate development, we are pursuing parallel paths.  We expect this latest news will allow us to make progress faster with our P4 solar cell innovation.

As always, we thank you for your support.

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PI Energy is developing a proprietary manufacturing process to meet the challenging performance demands for our globally-scalable solar PV technology (ultra-thin, non-toxic, lightweight, earth-abundant elements, flexible, good performance & low-installed cost).

There have been many impacts of the global pandemic, including one serendipitous detail for us which we would like to share. Along with the shutdowns across the US, one of our outside technical contractors shutdown their facility at the end of March 2020.  This contractor had been tasked with evaluating a specific fabrication step of our technology.  Since then, our team has continued to work on this processing step without this contractor, and we developed our own novel in-house processing, which has given us positive results. As the old proverb says, “Necessity is the mother of invention”.

The picture below shows a current test sample from that new processing technique.  Variations of the surface appearance of the sample, in different areas, results from applying different processing parameters, the different colors help us identify the best fabrication parameters.

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Congratulations to all of our community, Fans & Investors. We just surpassed a major milestone in our equity crowdfunding campaign, over $300,000 in committed funds! 

Thank you for making this campaign such a success, but we’re not done yet  our goal is to max out the allowable limit under our Regulation CF campaign, but we need your help  if you have not invested yet, then we humbly invite you to join. If you have invested, then please tell your friends about the company that you’re a part of the PI Energy campaign.

One of the advantages of thin-film PV is the superior high-temperature performance, which results in higher efficiency compared to standard crystalline wafer-based silicon PV.  For all solar cells, the efficiency begins to drop once the panel temperature exceeds 25^oC (77 ^oF).  and this drop is quantified using a metric known as the “temperature coefficient.”   The temperature coefficient gives the loss in efficiency observed for each one degree increase in the temperature (ie. % / oC). The general relationship is that higher solar cell temperatures lead to a decrease in performance from the maximum efficiency, which can be generally described as:

The result in electrical output decreases by two factors: 1.) under strong sunlight the solar cell temperature will increase, and 2.) if ambient temperatures are high, then the solar module will have a decreased ability to vent waste heat.  The consequence of higher solar cell temperatures is not only lower electrical output, but also an accelerated degradation of the solar cell.  

For traditional PV, the typical observed high-temperature performance degradation is:

• for crystalline-silicon: about 0.45% decrease in efficiency per degree centigrade (°C); and
• for CdTe and CIGS: about 0.3% decrease in efficiency per degree centigrade (°C).

For example, if a traditional crystalline-silicon solar cell that performs at 20% efficiency at 25°C (77°F), and we place that in a high sunlight environment (e.g., Abu Dhabi, UAE,  or Phoenix, Arizona) at noon, where the internal solar cell temperature can reach 85°C (185°F) and higher, the efficiency would drop from 20% down to about 14.6%.

High temperature can also occur in urban areas during the summer months.

 As the solar cell thickness decreases, the impact of the high-temperature on electrical performance also decrease.  The main driver of this benefit for thinner PV is that thinner solar cells have a higher surface area in proportion to volume. This enables thin solar PV to remove excess heat more rapidly, enabling a lower cell temperature, which not only keeps the module closer to the rated efficiency but also reduces the stress on the cell.   Reducing crystalline Si Solar PV by about a half has been shown for one product on the market to reduce this temperature coefficient by about a half.

For PI Energy’s ultra-thin solar cell, at about 1/40 the thickness of traditional crystalline-silicon, We expect the temperature coefficient to be significantly lower, enabling higher performance in high-temperature conditions, which are common when solar energy resources are plentiful.   

We have been asked, what is the environmental impact of PI Energy technology? We have discussed how the technology will enable globally scalable PV.  But what do we mean by globally scalable?  Globally scalable for us means not only low cost and earth abundant materials but also addresses the impacts of the full lifecycle of the product, including the manufacturing process, the materials used to make the final solar PV product, and deployment of the product itself.  

 Unlike the dominant fossil fuel energy sources which generate carbon dioxide emissions throughout their lifecycle, solar energy’s carbon footprint is mostly front-loaded, so it important to mitigate these environmental impacts which are numerous and include:

• GHG gas emissions in precursor materials, module manufacture, distribution and installation;
• land-use impacts, especially for utility-scale solar farms (e.g., clearing land);
• use of toxic elements that can leak into the environment (e.g., lead or cadmium); and
• PV must be economically sustainable, meaning it must be affordable on an installed-basis globally.

How does PI Energy’s technology compare on these challenges to traditional PV?  Here’s how:

• Solar cell of PI Energy is less than 1/40 the thickness of traditional c-Si PV, so we are using far less material, and in addition the materials are earth-abundant (no cobalt, no tellurium, and no unobtanium).
• Our ultra-thin solar cell has no toxic elements.  This is critical for solar PV, which we expect will be globally deployed across most areas near humans, it must not contaminate. 
• PI Energy’s PV lightweight and flexible properties of the resulting module distribution and installation that is far lower cost and less external impacts; and modules can be installed on far more pre-existing surfaces, so no need for solar farms (no clearing of land).
• Our projected low installed-cost and easily wrap-able modules can provide economic sustainability, by making solar PV affordable and practical to the global market.

In the context of global needs, one can view all current solar energy installations as first-generation demonstrations, on the path towards real sustainability.  Global environmental and economic sustainability is a challenge for which we started PI Energy, as a next-generation PV technology provider.  

We will be unable to meet our April 29, 2020, annual report filing requirements for securities sold pursuant to Regulation CF as a result of limitations related to the current COVID19 shelter in place order. As such, we intend to rely on the temporary relief being provided by the Securities and Exchange Commission. We will continue to use our best efforts to comply with our ongoing reporting obligations

During the path of technology development, PI Energy has taken thousands of measurements of the materials, across more than 2,000 prototypes.  Some of the images below are small-scale and others are larger scale.    Parents love to show pictures of their children, and these pictures below show the progression of PI Energy solar materials evolution from baby-steps to adolescence.  The first two pictures are P1 prototype under an electrical test probe.  The next couple are iterations of P2.  The circular devices with grids are tests of P3 and the last picture is an early picture of testing material processing techniques for the latest generation, P4.

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The current pandemic has shown the vulnerability of global supply chains, where products are manufactured in large plants in one central location, with components from many regions.   Shutdowns in one region can cause transcontinental supply chains to come to a stop.

 The current dominant solar PV technology is traditional crystalline silicon (c-Si), which has a supply chain centered on east Asia, the graph shows the supply chain for the largest c-Si PV-related companies.

 PI Energy’s solar PV technology allows for far smaller manufacturing CAPEX, enabling smaller regional plants that can adapt to rapidly changing supply requirements while producing the solar PV panels domestically.  The capital equipment cost, and material requirement are expected to be an order of magnitude lower than the current dominant solar PV panels, while at the same time enabling new markets because of the combination of ultra-thin, lightweight, flexible, non-toxic, earth abundant, recyclable and low-cost materials.  We think that supply chains should be redundant and widely distributed, so that instead of a few main clusters of manufacturing.  This would allow for many geographically distributed manufacturers, making the supply more resilient.

(source: p.14, NREL technical report TP-6A20-72134, updated Feb 2020)

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PI Energy has fabricated and tested over 2,000 small-scale prototypes across four generation of PV materials, each one building upon the innovation of the prior generation.  This development path requires not only being able to meet commercially competitive PV performance, but also the ability to manufacture at a low cost for high fabrication volumes, while remaining within the target parameters: non-toxic, ultra-lightweight, highly flexible, earth abundant materials, and low-CAPEX equipment.  

All generations of PV designs where flexible, ultra-lightweight, non-toxic and made from earth- abundant materials.  The improvements were in the PV performance and high-volume manufacturing capabilities.    The chart shows the progress of our confidence in the designs high volume manufacturing and performance from P1 to our current P4 designs:   

PI Energy continues to move ahead through these challenging times.  We want to share with our supporters, shareholders and fans, how we are adapting to COVID-19’s impacts affecting us all.

Even in a global pandemic crisis, a future of clean energy and sustainability is important for us all. 

Our first priority is the safety of our team, their families and communities.  

Several weeks ago, our Company started to prepare and plan, in order to operate safely in light of the anticipated disruption.  We are glad to share that we made a smooth transition to working remotely with virtual collaboration.  We have transitioned our team members to working remotely, and continuing development.

 As conditions evolve, PI Energy will continue to adapt our processes to ensure the continuity of our progress with a strict observance to safety, so we can accomplish our goals despite the challenges ahead.

We wish that you, your families and communities are doing well and staying safe.

PI Energy has built a large area solar simulator to support its development for testing large area samples. 

Congratulations to all of our community, Fans & Investors. We just surpassed a major milestone in our equity crowdfunding campaign, over $200,000 in committed funds and we owe it all to you! 

Thank you for making this campaign such a success, but we’re not done yet  our goal is to max out the allowable limit under our Regulation CF campaign, but we need your help  if you have not invested yet, then we humbly invite you to join. If you have invested, then please tell your friends about the company that you’re a part of the PI Energy campaign.

Despite all the current global challenges, we are moving forward.  More to follow!

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On February 17, 2020, PI Energy welcomed Lee Krevat as a new board member of PI Energy.

Lee has over three decades of experience in the energy and technology industries. While working at San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E), a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, he founded and served as director of smart grid and led SDG&E’s smart grid and electric vehicle initiatives, evangelizing Grid Modernization and Electric Vehicle grid integration. Lee was twice named one of the top 100 movers and shakers influencing the smart grid market by GreenTech Media and twice recognized as a Top 12 Utility Mover and Shaker and Utility Champion by Intelligent Utility Magazine.

Previously, Lee was director of new ventures for Sempra Renewables. He was responsible for leading the development of distributed energy solutions including solar, load optimization, bio-methane, electric vehicle charging, energy blockchain, and microgrids. Lee successfully closed investments in Sempra’s first distributed energy resources, an exciting distributed solar company, Sol Systems, and as the sole US founding member in the Energy Web Foundation.

Lee is a champion for sustainability on a national level. He serves on the Board of Directors of the GridWise Alliance, where he led the development of the GridWise Alliance Grid Modernization Index (GMI). The GMI has been used since 2013 to evaluate the status of electric grid modernization in the United States, to identify and promote best practices, and to provide insights to state policy makers, regulators, and other stakeholders regarding the progress of their grid modernization.

Lee currently serves as an advisory member on the UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center’s Leadership Council.

Prior to joining the Sempra Energy family of companies, Lee led several software development teams at Tandem Computers, and was a partner at TransPac Software, a startup in Silicon Valley. He received a bachelor’s degree with university honors in applied mathematics/computer science from Carnegie Mellon University.

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PI Energy welcomes new board member Lee Krevat.

When live offerings undergo changes like these on StartEngine, the SEC requires that certain investments be reconfirmed. If your investment requires reconfirmation, you will be contacted by StartEngine via email with further instructions.

We are gearing up to begin evaluation of a large-area processing step for our thin-film solar material, one of the key processes for enabling high-volume production of our solar technology.  This system will enable evaluation of both this proprietary step for small scale prototypes and larger area devices. 

We want to thank you for the traction on PI Energy’s equity crowdfunding campaign, which has been live now for a few days.

We are  very happy to say we’ve raised over $100,000 to date.  While this is a good start,  we are actively seeking more investors to help us fund our efforts.  Whether you have already invested or not, you should know that we are looking to build a  long-term relationship with our investors.  Our ultimate goal is to build a community of  investors that can be our advocates.  We are confident that we will all be working together for a long time.   Please look at our campaign page https://www.startengine.com/pienergy ,  and  if you are still thinking about it, or you can start  investing.

Thank you for your interest in the next-generation of solar PV.