DuPont buys US solar technology firm Innovalight
US-based chemicals major DuPont has acquired Innovalight, a company specializing in advanced silicon inks and process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells.
The acquisition further strengthens DuPont's position as a clear leader in materials for the solar energy market, enabling a broader and more integrated photovoltaic materials and technology offering, the company said.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
DuPont exceeded $1 billion in revenue from sales into the photovoltaic market in 2010, and has set a goal to reach $2 billion by 2014 based on continued growth supported by new innovations that improve solar module efficiency, lifetime and overall system costs.
"Innovalight has very exciting technology that improves cell efficiency and DuPont can help expedite its adoption," said David B. Miller, president of DuPont Electronics & Communications.
"DuPont and Innovalight share a commitment to innovation in materials that have a common purpose – to make solar energy more efficient and more affordable."
Innovalight, located in Sunnyvale, Calif., has developed innovative proprietary silicon ink products, process technology and a pipeline of anticipated products.
Silicon inks used in conjunction with DuPont’s Solamet photovoltaic metallization pastes boost the amount of electricity produced from sunlight, enabling the production of superior Selective Emitter solar cells.
According to industry estimates, Selective Emitter technology could represent 13% of 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 of Innovalight. "Our offerings are complementary to one another.”
DuPont anticipates that the acquisition will enable opportunities for greater efficiencies and future innovations which could more quickly and effectively help address the market demand for higher-efficiency solar cell designs, it said.
DuPont’s experience in production scale-up and manufacturing operations will also accelerate time-to-market for Innovalight products and broaden customers' access to the technology, officials said.
In addition, DuPont's broad range of offerings in photovoltaic 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.
DuPont - one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals more than 20 years ago - has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment.
The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets, the company said.
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