DuPont (NYSE: DD) announced plans to invest $120 million to expand production of a product used in the backsheets of solar panels.
The chemical company released details of a multi-phase production expansion for its Tedlar® polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) product line. The company said it will increase production by over 50% for the monomer and resin used in producing Tedlar® films used as a backsheet component for weatherproofing solar panels conditions.
DuPont said site selections for this phase of the Tedlar® capacity expansion are complete, and construction has begun for new monomer and resin facilities at the DuPont Louisville, Ky., and Fayetteville, N.C., sites, 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," said David B. Miller, group vice president-DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies.
The investment reflects the company’s announced last week to focus on four emerging global trends, one of which is decreasing dependence on fossil fuels.
DuPont anticipates that the photovoltaic market will grow rapidly over the next several years, and this growth will drive the demand for Tedlar® and other new materials that increase the lifetime and efficiency of solar cells and modules. DuPont expects that overall sales of its family of products into the photovoltaic industry will exceed $1 billion by 2012.
DuPont already has implemented capacity expansions in 2009 for Tedlar® PV2100 series film and is completing the engineering and design for a planned expansion of Tedlar® PV2000 series film production, which together will more than double Tedlar® film capacity for the photovoltaic industry.
Tedlar® films also are used in applications for aerospace, construction and graphics arts because of their durability and weatherability.
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