Semprius

About Semprius

Semprius, Inc. was a developer of high-performance concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) modules designed for solar power generation in sunny and dry climates. Founded in 2005 and formerly known as pSi-tech, Inc., the company was based in Durham, North Carolina. Semprius focused on manufacturing highly efficient solar modules using extremely small solar cells, about the size of a pencil point, combined with optics that concentrated sunlight over 1,000 times.

The company's core technology was a proprietary micro-transfer printing process. This technique allowed for the transfer of thousands of tiny, pre-formed semiconductor circuit elements from a source substrate to another surface, such as glass or plastic, in a massive parallel process. This method was developed to significantly reduce manufacturing costs by minimizing material usage and allowing the reuse of the expensive growth substrate. Semprius utilized gallium arsenide-based triple-junction cells, which contributed to their high energy conversion rates. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) validated that Semprius's cells achieved an energy conversion efficiency of over 41% at a concentration of 1,000 suns. By September 2013, the company announced a record module efficiency of 35.5% for its commercially produced panels.

Semprius was venture-backed, raising over $79 million from investors including Siemens Venture Capital, ARCH Venture Partners, In-Q-Tel, and Intersouth Partners. The business model was to be a vertically integrated manufacturer, producing high-concentration PV panels and selling them to system integrators. The company began construction of a manufacturing plant in Henderson, North Carolina, in 2011, with plans to create over 250 jobs. However, despite its technological advancements, Semprius faced challenges from the rapidly falling costs of conventional silicon-based solar panels. While the company had licensed its micro-transfer printing technology for non-solar applications like flexible electronics and large-area sensors, its primary focus on the CPV market became difficult to sustain. Public records indicate the company is now out of business.