DuPont acquires Innovalight for its silicon ink that boosts PV efficiency

Wilmington, DE--DuPont expanded its position as a provider of materials for the photovoltaic (PV) solar energy market through its acquisition of Innovalight (Sunnyvale, CA), which specializes in silicon inks and other process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. In 2010, DuPont exceeded $1 billion in revenue from sales into the PV market, and has set a goal to reach $2 billion by 2014 based on continued revenues from technologies such as Innovalight's that increase solar module efficiency, lifetime, and overall system costs.

Innovalight's proprietary silicon ink products are used in conjunction with DuPont Solamet PV metallization pastes that boost the amount of electricity produced from sunlight, enabling the production of superior selective-emitter solar cells. Industry estimates put selective-emitter technology at 13% of overall crystalline silicon solar cell production by 2013 and up to 38% by 2020.

"Innovalight brings in-depth knowledge of solar devices, silicon technology and Selective Emitter technology, and DuPont adds expertise in materials science, manufacturing capabilities and global market access," said Conrad Burke, founder, Innovalight.

DuPont says its experience in production scale-up and manufacturing operations will accelerate time-to-market for Innovalight products and broaden customers’ access to the technology. In addition, DuPont’s broad range of offerings in PV module materials, including backsheet films and encapsulants, will help accelerate adoption of new high-efficiency solar cells that need to be packaged into modules to meet in-field performance requirements.

SOURCE: DuPont; http://us.vocuspr.com/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=DupontNew&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=121270&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=False