Ensuring sufficient future supply of its ‘Tedlar’ polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) film for PV module assembly requirements has been completed, according to DuPont. The US$295 million investment in new capacity has more than doubled production, the company said. DuPont has recently secured long-term agreements with Tier 1 PV module manufacturers such as Suntech, Yingli Green, Trina Solar and China Sunergy.
“DuPont has recently signed supply contracts with several leading solar panel manufacturers, and with more customers qualifying and certifying Tedlar every day, we anticipate even greater future demand,” said David B. Miller, president, DuPont Electronics & Communications. “The completion of this expansion project demonstrates our commitment to support the growing solar energy industry with critical materials that deliver proven performance and greater power output over time for solar modules. We continue to innovate with Tedlar and other key materials to improve the efficiency and lifetime of solar modules as a means of bringing down overall system costs, to spur further adoption of solar energy and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”
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DuPont said that its Tedlar film capacity expansion at its Circleville facility in the US resulted in 70 new direct jobs and about 30 additional contract positions.
Shortages of high-quality backsheet material appeared several years ago when the PV market was growing at above 100% per annum and major PV module manufacturers took capacity from the megawatt level to the gigawatt-scale.