DuPont Innovation Center Goes Solar

16-Jan-09

DuPont's renovated Innovation Center at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware, in mid-2008, houses a solar energy system which was funded in part by the State of Delaware's Green Energy Program. The photovoltaic (PV) panels, manufactured by Evergreen Solar, Inc., consist of various products developed by DuPont including DuPont™ Solamet® thick film paste, which is applied to the silicon cells and fired in place to collect the electric current; DuPont™ PV5100 series ethylene vinyl acetate photovoltaic encapsulating resins; and DuPont™ Tedlar® PV fluoropolymer film, which is used as a weatherable and protective layer in the polymeric backsheet. The photovoltaic (PV) panels of the system, which are located on the roof of the building, collect solar energy and convert it to provide 30 kilowatts of power each day. It provides enough electricity to power all of the lights in the building. The system is expected to have a useful life of at least 25 years. The Innovation Center solar energy system is the second system of its kind installed at a DuPont site by DuPont Facilities Services & Real Estate (FS&RE).