EI DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD)

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DuPont To Deploy Over $120 Mln To Increase Production Of Solar Cell Materials - Update
8/20/2009 10:29 AM ET
(RTTNews) - Thursday, diversified science and technology major El DuPont de Nemours & Co. (DD: News ) said it would invest more than $120 million in view of production expansion of its Tedlar polyvinyl fluoride product line.

The investment would result in a more than 50% increase in the capacity of monomer and resin used in producing Tedlar films. DuPont's Tedlar films are used as a backsheet component, providing long-term durability for photovoltaic modules in all-weather conditions.

DuPont said it has completed site selections for Tedlar capacity expansion. With construction of the facilities already begun, the production sites are scheduled to start up in mid-2010.

David Miller, the group vice president of DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies stated, "Our capacity expansions are critical steps in growing the Tedlar business and maintaining our market leadership in backsheets for solar panels that deliver the long-term, reliable power supply that our customers have come to expect from their investment in renewable power generation."

DuPont said it anticipates the photovoltaic market to grow rapidly over the next several years, and that this growth will drive demand for Tedlar and other new materials that increase the lifetime and efficiency of solar cells and modules. The company sees overall sales of its family of products in the photovoltaic industry to exceed $1 billion by 2012.

DD is currently trading down 8 cents at $31.81.