Current News

Print version | PDF version | Send article | RSS feed

DuPont to open new R&D and production facilities for growing solar energy market

28 May 2008 - DuPont announced it will soon begin construction on a research center in Hong Kong and a manufacturing facility in Shenzhen to support the rapidly growing photovoltaic (PV) solar energy industry.
 
"Through investments in materials, technology development and manufacturing, DuPont is accelerating its ability to deliver innovations that will improve the lifetime and efficiency of photovoltaic modules, and also have enough production capability to help keep pace with the fast rising global demand," said David B. Miller, group vice president -- DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies.
 
DuPont expects growth in the photovoltaic market to exceed 30 percent in each of the next several years. The company has made significant investments in product development and capacity expansions to help keep pace with the demand.
 
Accelerating its capability to meet emerging materials requirements is critical for DuPont, which has long been a leading supplier of materials primarily serving the crystalline silicon (c-Si) cell and module markets, according to the company. The expansions in Hong Kong and Shenzhen will provide new offerings to serve the amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin film market.
 
Thin film technology is well-suited for large-scale utility applications such as "solar farms" and industrial installations. The growth rate for thin film is projected to be approximately twice as high as demand for c-Si, and DuPont expects this increase to drive specifications for both new and existing products that serve the thin film industry. These include DuPont(TM) Butacite® PV sheet based on polyvinyl butyral (PVB), DuPont(TM) SentryGlas® PV sheet based on ionomer and DuPont(TM) Elvax® ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) that are offered as encapsulation materials for thin film modules.
 
Significant further investment is planned for both a-Si and c-Si markets, including further capacity expansions for DuPont(TM) Tedlar® film and Solamet® thick film metallization paste.