The Meyrin PV application lab will operate as an open center, enabling technological exchanges and research collaborations between DuPont and customers, industrial partners, institutes and academia. The lab is designed to advance solar module design and accelerate time in PV innovation.
The company claims that a new building-integrated PV (BIPV) panel system that replaces tile or slate roofs is an open innovation. This innovation was developed at the lab in collaboration with DuPont Building Innovations, DuPont Performance Polymers and industry partners.
The system was initially developed for the French consumers where it will be commercialized in the first quarter of 2010. In a second phase, the product will be commercialized in other Southern European consumers.
Ellen Kullman, chairman and CEO of DuPont, said: “Addressing energy needs is a global concern. 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.”
Ian Hudson, president of DuPont Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “At DuPont, responding to the sustainability challenges often involves looking at where different science and capabilities intersect. The new Meyrin PV application lab will allow us to collaborate more closely with our customers in the photovoltaic industry, to provide local technical support and to develop the next generation of products for the global photovoltaic market.”
