Jun 15 2005
The Solvay group has announced that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Solar Impulse, for whom it will provide crucial R&D support. The agreement means that Solvay will play an active role, along with balloonist Bertrand Piccard, in a daring technological challenge: Solar Impulse has set itself the goal of circumnavigating the globe in stages by 2010, in an aeroplane to be powered solely by solar energy, to the exclusion of any other source, and producing no environmentally harmful emissions.
In its capacity as the company’s technical partner, Solvay will put its recognised scientific skills at the disposal of Solar Impulse, not least in the field of the development and production of innovative materials. These skills form part of the positive, specific contribution made by the Group to sustainable development in terms of aiding the advent of alternative or renewable energy sources.
Jacques van Rijckevorsel, General Manager of the Plastics Sector and Group Innovation Sponsor at Solvay comments: “The partnership between our Group and Solar Impulse is a reflection of the confidence we put in personal commitment, the entrepreneurial spirit and technical innovation, as responses to the challenge of Sustainable Development”. He adds: “We are, moreover, taking up a challenge that will take us to the limits of technology, measuring us against the best practitioners in the world in each of the disciplines involved”. He concludes: “For Solvay, this partnership also harbours a positive financial dimension, since it will provide an excellent springboard for the promotion and development of those products, services and solutions which the Group will be in a position to contribute.”
SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 30,000 people in 50 countries. In 2004 its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 7.9 billion generated by its three activity sectors: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay is listed on the Euronext 100 index of top European companies.
http://www.solvay.com
Posted15th June 2005