DuPont Boosts Tedlar® Production For Surging Solar Energy Market

Underscoring its ongoing commitment to develop and deliver cleaner, more efficient energy solutions, DuPont announced that production of polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) polymer resin, a critical raw material used to make high-performance DuPont™ Tedlar® polyvinyl fluoride film, has begun at the DuPont Fayetteville Works facility in Fayetteville, N.C. (U.S.). Tedlar® films are the essential component of photovoltaic (PV) backsheets, providing long-term durability and performance for solar modules in all-weather conditions.
 
Increasing production at Fayetteville is part of the previously announced multi-phase $295 million investment by DuPont to more than double Tedlar® film capacity for the fast-growing PV industry. Startup of this second production line for PVF resins at Fayetteville enables DuPont to provide higher volumes of Tedlar® film through next year. Beyond that, additional Tedlar® film production is expected to start up at Circleville, Ohio, in September 2011.
 
 “Starting up this new line of polymer resin production for Tedlar® film is a critical step necessary for us to meet the overwhelming customer demand for this essential solar panel backsheet material,” said Dave Miller, president – DuPont Electronics & Communications. “Tedlar® enables solar panels to deliver reliable power output for more than 25 years. This capacity expansion will allow us to help our customers supply the highest quality solar modules as the market continues to grow.”
 
DuPont anticipates that the PV market will grow rapidly over the next several years, and this growth will drive the demand for Tedlar® and other key materials that increase the lifetime and efficiency of solar cells and modules.