DuPont to invest $120m on solar products expansion
RECHARGE News
The investment will increase production capacity for the monomer and resin used in producing Teldar films by 50%. Tedlar films serve are used as the backsheet component for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.
DuPont says that site selections for the Tedlar capacity expansion are complete, and construction has begun for new monomer and resin facilities in Louisville, Kentucky, and Fayetteville, North Carolina, respectively. The facilities are scheduled to start up in mid-2010.
“This investment supports the significant increase in the global market demand for clean, renewable energy,” says Dave Miller, group vice president of DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies. “Our capacity expansions are critical steps in growing the Tedlar business and maintaining our market leadership in backsheets for solar panels.”
DuPont says that the investment reflects the company’s commitment to focus on meeting four emerging global trends, one of which is decreasing dependence on fossil fuels. The company says it expects the PV market to grow rapidly over the next few years, and that overall sales of its family of products for the photovoltaic industry will exceed $1bn by 2012.
