MATERIALS MATTER™

Lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) through DuPont Innovation

Today, DuPont offers the broadest materials portfolio in PV and provides six of the eight most critical materials for manufacturing solar modules. These materials are not only innovative, they have delivered demonstrable results, including: nearly doubling cell efficiency over 12 years; providing greater reliability and extending system lifetime—with 30+ years of proven backsheet performance; and reducing overall system cost with technology advancements in efficiency, module protection and installation.

More than half of the world’s 300 million solar panels installed since 1975 rely on DuPont materials science. That means many of our innovative materials have been

time-tested for decades in more than five trillion panel-hours of outdoor PV field installations all around the world. That’s trillions more hours of real PV exposure than other material providers in the industry.

Looking ahead, we aim to increase efficiency well beyond 20% and extend system lifetime toward 40 years, while increasing system safety and reducing cost. This will help enable the achievement of grid parity broadly and create a more sustainable and viable global solar energy industry. Technology innovation is the past, present and future of solar energy—with DuPont playing a vital role in advancing the science of solar and the PV industry.

DuPont has a rich heritage of innovation and leadership in the PV industry. It all began more than 55 years ago when our scientists created the first purified silicon for Bell Labs for use in the PV market.

Since then, our broad and growing portfolio of materials has enabled significant leaps in module efficiency, reliability and overall system cost reduction. We are committed to continually driving technology innovation and have been granted nearly 200 PV worldwide patents since 2008, with more than 1,300 patent applications currently pending.

In 2011, DuPont spent $2 billion U.S. dollars on research and development, with a significant portion focused on advancing the efficiency, lifetime and cost competitiveness of solar energy. We’ve also invested hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars in supply expansions over the past few years to support long-term industry growth.

MATERIALS MATTER™ FOR BETTER LONG-TERM PV SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND HIGHER FINANCIAL RETURNS

5 TRILLION2X DuPont™ Solamet® has doubled solar cell

efficiency over 12 years.

DuPont PV materials have been time-tested in >5 trillion panel-hours of outdoor PV field installations across the globe since 1975. +50% More than half of the world’s 300

million panels installed since 1975 have DuPont materials in them.

30 Tedlar® film has 30+ years of proven performance in PV modules.

YEARS

MATERIALS MATTER™

DuPont puts its science to work to offer the PV industry a broad product portfolio of solutions for traditional crystalline silicon and thin film modules.

THIN FILM SUBSTRATES AND SUPERSTRATESDuPont™ Kapton® polyimide filmsWith roll-to-roll processing and a low CTE to minimize stress, DuPont™ Kapton® films are well suited for use as the base in flexible PV systems. They feature low moisture uptake and high moisture release characteristics while also delivering excellent electrical properties and increased voltage endurance. Next-generation substrates with higher temperature capacity and lower CTE characteristics, as well as colorless superstrate films, are in development.

SODIUM METAL FOR POLY-SILICON MANUFACTURINGDuPont™ Niapure® and Niapure® Select sodium metalCritical starting materials for poly-silicon manufacturing, DuPont™ Niapure® sodium metal offers excellent purity that increases yield, reliable supply and integrated product safety management. Niapure® is used as a power reducing agent in alternative poly-silicon processes.

WET-ETCH ADDITIVES FOR PVDuPont™ Capstone® fluorosurfactantsStable in both acidic and alkaline solutions, DuPont™ Capstone® fluorosurfactants enable homogenous wet-etching of thin semiconductor wafers with improved surface roughness, translating to increased cell efficiencies. The unrivaled wetting power of Capstone® fluorosurfactants allows for their deep penetration into wafer surface defects, significantly minimizing waste from fractured wafers, and provides unique etch attenuation, enabling kinetic control over the process and activating a wider range of wet-etch operating temperatures.

HIGH PERFORMANCE PARTSDuPont™ Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer partsHigh performance DuPont™ Kalrez® parts retain their elastomeric properties at temperatures as high as 325°C, and resist more than 1,800 chemicals, including reactive gases and plasmas, alkalis, acids and solvents. They are ideal for silicon wafer and thin film cell manufacturing processes, poly-silicon feedstock production and abatement systems.

DuPont™ Zalak® high performance sealsDuPont™ Zalak® high performance seals offer a cost-effective alternative in select applications where traditional sealing materials are insufficient.

DuPont™ Vespel® partsDuPont™ Vespel® parts improve yield by reducing scratches in glass and wafer handling. Vespel® composite products with ultra-high modulus offer low deflection with vibration dampening, allowing faster and more precise handling of the glass substrate.

FRONTSHEET MATERIALSDuPont™ Teflon® filmsDuPont™ Teflon® frontsheets are used to make solar panels for both portable applications and grid-connected, flexible systems. With high light transmittance, DuPont™ Teflon® films help increase power output. Lightweight and flexible, they offer excellent UV resistance, outstanding weatherability and exceptional mechanical strength and durability against cracking.

PHOTOVOLTAIC ENCAPSULANTSDuPont™ Elvax® EVA resinsDuPont™ PV5200 Series encapsulant sheetingDuPont™ PV5300 Series encapsulant sheetingDuPont™ PV5400 Series encapsulant sheetingDuPont™ PV8600 Series encapsulant sheetingDuPont™ Elvax® EVA resins cushion individual cells from impact and enable the transmission of sunlight to the cells. Ranging from soft to structural, clear DuPont™ PV5200 Series encapsulant sheeting, based on Butacite® PVB, and DuPont™ PV5300, PV5400 & PV8600 Series, based on SentryGlas® ionomer, offer proven safety and laminating performance—delivering long-term protection for the most sensitive portions of PV modules.

PHOTOVOLTAIC METALLIZATIONSDuPont™ Solamet® photovoltaic metallizationsWith a broad range of characteristics, these high performance metallization compositions, used in front side grid, tabbing and back surface field applications, help to increase the efficiency and yield of solar cells.

SILICON DOPING TECHNOLOGIES DuPont™ Innovalight™ silicon inks DuPont™ Innovalight™ silicon inks used in conjunction with DuPont™ Solamet® photovoltaic metallization pastes boost the amount of electricity produced from sunlight, enabling the production of superior selective emitter solar cells that more efficiently convert blue light into energy.

BACKSHEET MATERIALSDuPont™ Tedlar® PVF filmsLong considered the industry standard for UV and weather-resistant backsheets, DuPont™ Tedlar® PVF films deliver superior, proven module protection against the elements with outstanding mechanical and moisture barrier properties plus excellent resistance to weathering.

ELECTRICAL AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENT MATERIALS DuPont™ Rynite® PET polyester resins DuPont™ Crastin® PBT polyester resins DuPont™ Zytel® PA nylon resinsDuPont performance polymers meet all known thermal requirements and deliver long-lasting performance in harsh environments for junction boxes, connectors, cables and parts for inverters. In frames and fixations, DuPont performance polymers allow for greater design flexibility for ease of assembly and improved cost of installation, while also eliminating outdoor corrosion issues.

FRONTSHEET MATERIALSDuPont™ Teflon® films

PHOTOVOLTAIC ENCAPSULANTSDuPont™ Elvax® EVA resinsDuPont™ PV5200 Series encapsulant sheetingDuPont™ PV5300 Series encapsulant sheetingDuPont™ PV5400 Series encapsulant sheetingDuPont™ PV8600 Series encapsulant sheeting

PHOTOVOLTAIC METALLIZATIONSDuPont™ Solamet® photovoltaic metallizations

SILICON DOPING TECHNOLOGIES DuPont™ Innovalight™ silicon inks

THIN FILM SUBSTRATES AND SUPERSTRATES DuPont™ Kapton® polyimide films

ELECTRICAL AND STRUCTURAL COMPONENT MATERIALS DuPont™ Rynite® PET thermoplastic polyester resins

BACKSHEET MATERIALSDuPont™ Tedlar® PVF films

SODIUM METAL FOR POLY-SILICON MANUFACTURINGDuPont™ Niapure® and Niapure® Select sodium metal

WET-ETCH ADDITIVES FOR PV MANUFACTURINGDuPont™ Capstone® fluorosurfactants

HIGH PERFORMANCE PARTSDuPont™ Kalrez® perfluoroelastomer partsDuPont™ Zalak® high performance sealsDuPont™ Vespel® parts

THE DUPONT PORTFOLIO OF INNOVATIVE MATERIALS FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES AND MANUFACTURING

CRYSTALLINE SILICON THIN FILM A

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This information corresponds to our current knowledge on the subject. It is offered solely to provide possible suggestions for your own experimentations. It is not intended, however, to substitute for any testing you may need to conduct to determine for yourself the suitability of our products for your particular purposes. This information may be subject to revision as new knowledge and experience becomes available. Since we cannot anticipate all variations in actual end-use conditions, DuPont makes no warranties, and assumes no liability in connection with any use of this information. Nothing in this publication is to be considered as a license to operate under or a recommendation to infringe any patent right.

Caution: Do not use in medical applications involving permanent implantation in the human body. For other medical applications, see “DuPont Medical Caution Statement, H-51459.”

Copyright © 2012 DuPont. All rights reserved. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science™, Materials Matter™, Butacite®, Capstone®, Crastin®, Elvax®, Innovalight™, Kalrez®, Kapton®, Niapure®, Rynite®, SentryGlas®, Solamet®, Tedlar®, Teflon®, Vespel®, Zalak®, and Zytel® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. K-20171 (09/12)

If you would like to learn more about DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions, please give us a call or visit our website.

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