WILMINGTON, Del. - DuPont has announced the commercialization of two new families of photovoltaic encapsulant sheets that are expected to improve durability and efficiency of photovoltaic modules. The new DuPont™ PV5300 Series and DuPont PV5200 Series are designed to deliver long-term protection for the most sensitive part of photovoltaic modules – the solar cells. They are expected to contribute to longer life and reduced cost-per-watt, helping system manufacturers deliver more reliable and cost-effective solar power.

“With these new introductions, DuPont science is helping enable the faster spread of solar power,” said William F. Weber, vice president and general manager - DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers. “These new encapsulant materials contribute to keeping cost-per-watt low and reducing the total cost of ownership for solar power. We expect growth for encapsulant materials like these of more than 25 percent per year in the next five years, due to the anticipated strong growth in solar module installations globally.”

According to the company, PV5300 Series sheets are five times tougher and 100 times stiffer than materials typically used as encapsulants. Their structural properties make possible new module designs such as building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) tiles that can be installed on building roofs. Companies like SYSTEM Photonics S.p.A of Italy are adopting PV5300 for architecturally appealing built-in rooftop photovoltaic power generation.

The company also launched PV5200 Series sheets, which are designed to meet the needs of thin-film solar power generation, a fast-growing segment of the industry. They are based on polyvinyl butyral polymer technology and offer high performance in physical processing. They are said to enable faster, more efficient module production and longer service life.

For more information, visit www2.dupont.com/Photovoltaics/en_US/index.html.

Publication date: 05/25/2009