DuPont Completes $295 Million Expansion for PV Market

DuPont announced an investment of $175 million to complete the multi-phase expansion of its high-performance DuPont Tedlar PV2001 series oriented film production line. This investment is in addition to $120 million in capacity expansions, announced in August 2009, for raw materials used to make the film, bringing the total commitment of these two phases to $295 million.

Tedlar films serve as the critical component of photovoltaic backsheets, providing long-term durability and performance for photovoltaic modules in all-weather conditions.

The film line expansion will be located at the DuPont Circleville, OH, facility using existing and retrofitted assets. This expansion provides Tedlar oriented film capacity to support global demand of over 10 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic module production. The investment will deliver DuPont technology to help meet increasing needs for energy and environmental sustainability. This reflects the company’s recently announced commitment to focus on meeting four emerging global trends, one of which is decreasing dependence on fossil fuels. Film production is scheduled to start up in September 2011.

“The photovoltaic market increasingly demands materials that enable modules to reliably deliver power for decades,” said David B. Miller, president – DuPont Electronics & Communications. “This major expansion underscores our commitment to maintaining DuPont leadership in the photovoltaic industry and specifically in the backsheet materials market for solar panels.”

The manufacturing steps for Tedlar oriented film include producing vinyl fluoride (VF) monomer, which is converted into polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) polymer resins, and extruded into the Tedlar film. DuPont plans to increase monomer and polymer resin capacity by more than 50 percent. Construction is under way for these new monomer and resin facilities at the DuPont Louisville, KY, and Fayetteville, NC, sites, respectively, and the facilities are scheduled to start up in mid-2010.