Global Impact Statement · 2026
Lighter. More Powerful. Proven. Universal.
EncapSolar is a lightweight, glass-free solar panel featuring proprietary light-trapping technology with International and National Patents Pending.
Our Conviction
Solar Science was founded on the belief that truly transformative solar technology must do two things at once.
Replace dated fossil fuel interests in mainstream markets while outcompeting Chinese solar panel manufacturers on cost and performance with proven technology—bringing manufacturing and living wage jobs back to the USA.
Reach the communities and ecosystems that conventional solar has never been able to serve—remote, off-grid, fragile-infrastructure environments worldwide—while providing needed jobs for American workers.
"This technology is exactly what the world needs right now—to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, create American jobs, and leave a cleaner, healthier planet for our children."
Bob Berger, CEO — Solar Science LLC
The Technology
Lin Higley, President, at Power Panel Michigan — leading production and testing
The glass-free EncapSolar panel is one of the most efficient panels in the world today, originally designed for satellite use and now ready for global deployment. Founders Lin Higley and Marshall Muller never gave up—and now they're about to deliver on one of the greatest innovations in solar technology.
What Makes EncapSolar Different
| Advantage | EncapSolar | Conventional Panel |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | +8% proven (reflection cut 6% to under 2%) | Baseline |
| Panel Weight | 20-25 lbs glass-free (projected) | 40-50 lbs industry standard |
| Manufacturing Cost | 20% lower—glass layer eliminated | Higher capital intensity |
| Gross Margin | $69/panel—roughly 2x conventional | $25/panel |
| Durability | Glass-free: little or no breakage in transit or installation | Fragile—frequent transit and installation damage |
| Origin | 100% Made in USA—IRA eligible | Primarily Chinese imports |
| Adaptable | Cell-agnostic—integrates with all high-efficiency technologies including c-Si, PERC, TOPCon, HJT, Perovskite, and Bifacial panels with improved performance | Replaced by Perovskite |
Market Position
Phased Market Entry
5-10 installers, 10-20 MW capacity
100 MW capacity, approx. 1.5-2% C&I share
5% of U.S. C&I segment
Strategic Initiative
Why EncapSolar Is the Right Fit
Cost-competitive—wins large-scale ground-mount bids
100% U.S.-made—qualifies for IRA and federal transition funding
Cell-agnostic—integrates with best available cells
Does not require the ongoing investment of coal or natural gas
American manufacturing creates jobs in coal communities
USGS Fellow · Clean Energy Action Co-Founder · One Humanity Inst. Advisor · World Forum Advisory Team · UNFCCC (Bonn) Delegate
Advisory board member, environmental geochemist and clean energy policy expert actively advancing the regulatory and public-private framework to convert decommissioned U.S. coal plants into solar generation facilities.
Water Impact
Water consumption is one of the most overlooked costs of fossil fuel energy. Thermoelectric plants like coal and nuclear withdraw billions of gallons for steam and cooling. Solar PV withdraws almost none—making the case for conversion not just economic, but essential.
19,185 gal / MWh
Pulverized coal with cooling towers withdraws massive volumes of fresh water for steam generation and heat dissipation—water that is largely lost to evaporation.
20 gal / MWh
Solar PV requires no water for generation. The minimal figure reflects occasional panel cleaning only. EncapSolar panels—deployable anywhere—make this advantage accessible even in the most water-stressed regions.
Water scarcity affects 40% of the global population. Every coal plant converted to solar returns millions of gallons annually to local watersheds—a benefit that compounds across the 200+ retiring U.S. coal sites EncapSolar is positioned to serve.
Sources: U.S. EIA (2023) · Meldrum et al., Environ. Research Letters (2013) · SEIA · NREL/Macknick et al. (2011) · Thunder Said Energy (2025) · PBS SoCal · EESI
Impact — U.S. Indigenous Communities
The Challenge
Why EncapSolar Solves It
Impact — The Amazon and Global Rainforests
The Amazon stores 150-200 billion tons of carbon and is home to 400+ Indigenous peoples. It is the lungs of the planet—and it is under accelerating threat.
Energy poverty drives deforestation. Trees are cleared for cooking fuel and subsistence farming when no clean energy alternatives exist.
At 20-25 lbs with no glass to break, EncapSolar panels survive river canoe and pack transport. Clean energy reaches where no other panel can.
"Where energy poverty exists, mining, soil depletion, deforestation follows. Where clean energy reaches, communities can begin to build livelihoods that do not depend on drilling and clearing the forest."
Bob Berger, CEO — Solar Science LLC
Impact — The North Slope of Alaska
"On the Dalton Highway, headed for Prudhoe Bay, there is a choice: the wild open lands of the North Slope, or the destruction of melting permafrost releasing dangerous methane gas in towns like Deadhorse, Alaska. The world does not have to keep sacrificing ecosystems for inefficient energy sources. We have a choice. Let the dinosaurs sleep."
Bob Berger, CEO — Solar Science LLC
The Market Tailwind
Public opinion isn't just favorable—it's decisive. Nearly 9 in 10 U.S. adults support expanding solar power, making it the most popular energy source in the country.
Source: Pew Research Center, Resources for the Future, Data For Progress
More than two-thirds of U.S. adults prioritize renewable energy development over fossil fuel expansion, with solar holding the strongest favorability of any energy source.
69% of voters say they would be proud to have renewable energy projects built in their own communities—a powerful signal for local deployment and permitting.
Younger Americans show even stronger enthusiasm for transitioning away from fossil fuels, signaling that demand for clean energy solutions will only accelerate.
A majority prefer an energy mix that includes renewables alongside traditional sources—precisely the practical transition EncapSolar is built to deliver.
Investment Thesis
A team with the depth to protect its innovation, the experience to monetize it, and the conviction to deliver global impact.
Double gross margin ($69 vs $25/panel), 20% lower manufacturing cost, 8% proven efficiency advantage over glass panels.
50% weight reduction and glass-free durability open tribal lands, rainforest communities, and off-grid regions no competitor can reach.
100% built in the USA. IRA domestic content compliant. Eligible for federal tribal energy and coal community transition funding.
43 combined patents. 100+ years team experience. Validated prototype at Power Panel Michigan with proven 8% efficiency gain—results, not projections.
The Team
The founders of Solar Science bring together decades of technical invention, global business leadership, and operational excellence—united by a shared conviction that solar energy can reach every corner of the world.
Over 30 years of business and financial achievement as a tech marketing executive, driving multi-million-dollar revenue growth across the Americas, APAC, and EMEA. Successfully navigated both startups and Fortune 100 corporations. Leads overall strategy, fundraising, investor relations, and business development. Summited Mount Everest in 2012.
Co-inventor of EncapSolar's breakthrough light-trapping encapsulant technology. Holds 36 patents across multiple technology domains with 45+ years in energy systems and electrochemical research. At Hughes Aircraft in the 1980s, invented one of the first EV batteries and pioneered sodium-sulfur batteries for GM and Chrysler. In 2007, Lin and Marshall co-founded Solargystics to transform solar cell manufacturing. Leads innovation strategy and IP development.
Co-inventor of EncapSolar. Holds 7 patents in photovoltaic and advanced materials domains with 35+ years of pioneering energy research spanning PV technology, hydrogen storage alloys, laser and plasma technologies. In 2007, Lin and Marshall co-founded Solargystics, channeling their research into a vision to cut solar manufacturing costs by 80%. Leads R&D, product development, and manufacturing process optimization.
30 years of accounting and business management expertise, including executive oversight of a $90 million accounts payable department for a major national communications company. Earned a TechUp Entrepreneurship Certificate from the Jake Jabs Program at University of Colorado, Denver. Manages financial operations, HR, legal compliance, and operational scaling.
Get in Touch
For investment inquiries, partnership discussions, or further information about EncapSolar technology and Solar Science's global impact initiatives.
