Commodity Online
DuPont has begun production of polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) polymer resin, a critical raw material used to make high-performance DuPontTedlar polyvinyl fluoride film to support solar energy industry, at its Fayetteville Works facility.

Increasing production at Fayetteville is part of the previously announced multi-phase $295 million investment by DuPont to more than double Tedlar film capacity for the fast-growing photovoltaic industry. Startup of this second production line for PVF resins at Fayetteville enables DuPont to provide higher volumes of Tedlar film through next year. Beyond that, additional Tedlar film production is expected to start up at Circleville, Ohio, in September 2011.

Starting up this new line of polymer resin production for Tedlar film is a critical step necessary for us to meet the overwhelming customer demand for this essential solar panel backsheet material, said David B. Miller, president - DuPont Electronics & Communications. Tedlar® enables solar panels to deliver reliable power output for 25 plus years. This capacity expansion will allow us to help our customers supply the highest quality solar modules as the market continues to grow.

DuPont anticipates that the photovoltaic market will grow rapidly over the next several years, and this growth will drive the demand for Tedlar® and other key materials that increase the lifetime and efficiency of solar cells and modules. DuPont expects that overall sales of its family of products into the photovoltaic industry will exceed $1 billion in 2011 and $2 billion by 2014.

DuPont Tedlar PVF films have been an essential component of photovoltaic backsheets for more than 25 years. The manufacturing steps in making Tedlar film include producing vinyl fluoride monomer, which is converted into polyvinyl fluoride polymer resins, and extruded to make Tedlar film. Tedlar is widely recognized as the industry standard due to its excellent strength, weather resistance, ultraviolet resistance and moisture barrier properties. As a result, Tedlar enables solar modules to achieve long-life performance providing a long-term sustainable energy source for the marketplace. This results in improved economic returns for investments in solar energy projects and therefore a lower cost of solar electricity to consumers.

DuPont