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World Reports

DuPont Boosts PV Research Capabilities; Nestlé Opens Biscuit R&D Center

DuPont has opened the Meyrin Photovoltaic Application Laboratory at its European Technical Center in Geneva, Switzerland. The facility will develop the next generation of products for the fast-growing photovoltaic market.

“Addressing energy needs is a global concern,” said Ellen Kullman, DuPont’s CEO and chairman. “The generation and storage of renewable energy will be the fastest growing sector in the energy market for the next 20 years. We can apply the power of our market-driven science to offer products and technologies that can transform the sun’s potential into clean energy, contributing to decreasing dependence on fossil fuels.”

The Meyrin Photovoltaic Application Lab will operate as an open center, enabling technological exchanges and research collaborations among DuPont and customers, industrial partners, institutes and academia. The lab is designed to advance state-of-the-art solar module design, accelerate time to market in photovoltaic innovation and deliver cost-effective, high-performance solutions for the photovoltaic industry.

A new building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panel system that replaces tile or slate roofs is an example of open innovation. The system was developed at the lab in collaboration with DuPont Building and industry partners. It significantly improves the ease and speed of installation, offers high-energy efficiency, exceptional water tightness and superior aesthetics to the building. The system was initially developed for the French market, where it will be commercialized in the first quarter of 2010. In a second phase, the product will be commercialized in other Southern European markets.

DuPont anticipates that the photovoltaic market will grow by about 30 percent in 2010 and will continue to grow rapidly over the next three years. With sales in the sector exceeding US$500 million in 2009, the company expects overall sales of its family of products into the photovoltaic industry will exceed $1 billion by 2012. DuPont has recently made significant investments in product development and capacity expansions for leading brands critical to solar cell and module manufacturing silicon and thin-film photovoltaic solar modules, while reducing total systems cost and enabling the photovoltaic industry to reach grid parity faster.