Dow Chemical Company's plans for expansion, announced last year, have come to fruition with the production of its Enlight Polyolefin Encapsulant Films for use in PV solar panels in Thailand. Having commenced production in Ohio, US, in 2010, the company is also constructing a third manufacturing site for this film in Schkopau, Germany.
“We’re thrilled to have this capacity come on stream,” said Jerry Pritchett, global business director for the performance plastics’ photovoltaic business. “Market demand for these innovative encapsulant films remains very strong, and this new production capacity will enable us to meet the needs of this fast-growing sector.”
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In March, TÜV Rheinland carried out tests demonstrating Dow Chemical’s films experienced no power loss after 10,000 hours of operation.
The company claims the Map Ta Phut, Thailand, site is a state-of-the-art manufacturing operation which will allow Dow to double global production capacity immediately.
“The Map Ta Phut operation has been built with the latest energy efficiency techniques and supports our strategy to further enhance and expand our presence in Thailand,” said Jirasak Singmaneechai, Thailand country manager.
The new production facility is said to have created approximately 35 new jobs, which brings the total number of employees in Thailand to close to 1,000, nearly doubling the number of people working there in the past four years. Thailand is home to Dow’s largest manufacturing operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Dow has had a presence in Thailand for more than 45 years and has operated manufacturing sites there since 1978.
“Converting solar energy into an efficient source of electricity is an area of expertise Dow will continue to develop,” says Brij Sinha, associate director, global strategic marketing for the photovoltaic business. “We are continuing to develop new generations of ENLIGHT films and are exploring new areas and applications for growth. Demand for photovoltaic modules remains strong and currently is projected to grow at 20% a year globally, for the next several years.”
For full details on Dow's Enlight Polyolefin Encapsulant Films, click here.