Just months after getting a $1 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy, Bert Thin Films LLC has raised an additional $1 million in venture capital.
The Louisville-based startup, founded by University of Louisville researchers Dr. Thad Druffel and Dr. Ruvini Dharmadasa, is developing a low-cost, copper-based paste called "CuBert" that aims to replace an expensive silver component prevalent in solar cell manufacturing, in turn, making the switch to solar energy more affordable.
Bert Thin Films, established in 2014, raised $1 million in 2019 prior to the award from the Department of Energy (DOE) in August 2021. In addition to its copper paste, eight other solar hardware and manufacturing projects received DOE funding to accelerate the commercialization of technologies that can lower the cost of solar technologies and help to integrate solar electricity into the nation’s energy grid.
Druffel, CEO of Bert Thin Films, told me the latest round of funding will be used to help speed up the commercialization process and continue the work that has been commissioned by the DOE.
"The newest raise will help us de-risk the technology for potential customers," he said. "That's what we're trying to get through this year."
By de-risk, Druffel elaborated Bert Thin Films looks to validate that CuBert will consistently work as intended within the panels. The paste will be a plug-and-play ingredient that integrates directly into the existing manufacturing process and equipment in use today by solar panel makers.
