Lee Johnson is certainly up to a challenge. And his definition of failure—which he credits to his pioneer heritage—is "simply not trying." Toss in a passion for building something out of nothing, a penchant for tough goals, a shot of risk taking, and the zeal of a reformer. You end up with a guy who climbs rocks, pilots tail-dragger airplanes, and launches a high-tech startup in the notoriously fickle solar power industry.
In 2005, while a student at Tuck, Johnson founded Stellaris Corporation with Thayer graduate James Paull D'67, Th'68. Johnson, who holds an MS degree from Georgia Tech and a BS degree from Purdue in civil and environmental engineering, and Paull, a 30-year veteran of the solar industry, have developed a new kind of solar power technology and have set out to commercialize it. Johnson is chief operating officer of the new company. Their ClearPower technology employs passive concentrating optics and unique assembly techniques to decrease production costs by more than 40 percent while increasing the efficiency of energy generation by more than 20 percent. They capture and concentrate both direct and diffuse light via a translucent panel that can be used not only in conventional solar modules but also in windows, patio tiles, and skylights, combining architectural appeal with green energy production.
Their first and biggest obstacle was technical: attaching the photovoltaics to the bottom of the lenses. "We were like Thomas Edison," Johnson says. "No one had ever solved this problem, so we would try, test, fail, and try again."
They solved the attachment problem in spring 2006 and promptly won the prestigious MIT 2006 Ignite Clean Energy Business Presentation Competition. The award included training, mentoring, coaching, and $125,000 in prizes. "After winning the MIT competition," Johnson says, "we were besieged by investors." Johnson and Paull are carefully considering which venture capitalists or strategic partners they'd like to build a company with. "We made a list of our top 10 criteria, and number 1 was chemistry: Can we work well with these personalities?"
Almost all their component manufacturing is outsourced, all in the U.S. and most in New England. Then everything is assembled in their Massachusetts plant. "That's our secret recipe," says Johnson. Their first customers have been direct sales. "We are taking them through every step of the process," says Johnson. "Then we plan on selling to distributors and integrators in the future." Because Stellaris's technology follows existing fit, form, and function, there is no need to retrain equipment installers.
Currently, the biggest challenge facing the company is the solar industry itself. While Stellaris and other startups are working on cutting-edge technology, the solar industry is notably conservative. "You need to persuade individuals that superior technology is possible," says Johnson. New England is significantly sunnier than Germany and Japan, he says, but those two countries are the leading solar markets and the leading solar technology exporters, in part thanks to government incentives. Johnson isn't daunted by his goal of "waking people up" to the potential of an energy crisis and a global warming catastrophe. He conveys both passion and optimism when he says, "Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a problem, do something. And there are always better ways to do things." He says the world is "a big ship steaming towards disaster. But if we start turning now, we won't end up like the Titanic."
