May 17 2006
At a conference for investors in New York yesterday, DuPont Bio-Based Materials Vice President & General Manager John Ranieri said the company’s strategy for growth in alternative energy technologies is based on a solid product portfolio and a unique pipeline of new technologies that are supported by a strong intellectual property estate.
“The world needs new sources of clean energy now,” John said. “Alternative energy is already an important market segment across several of our commercial product offerings, and we have strong pipelines that will further drive growth into alternative energy markets.”
DuPont’s broad-based alternative energy portfolio includes:
Photovoltaic Technologies: DuPont supplies eight of the nine key materials used in a solar panel. These products include conductive pastes and high-performance films that help the panel achieve higher power output and long life. John indicated DuPont will invest approximately $100 million in the continued development of products and technologies for solar cells and panels.
Biofuels: Last month DuPont announced the creation of a Biofuels business unit to deliver commercial products and pipeline opportunities to the biofuels market. This business includes the Pioneer Industry Select® program that is marketing 135 corn hybrids this season to improve the yield potential of grain ethanol production; the Integrated BioRefinery research program to develop technologies to convert entire corn plants and other cellulosic plant material into ethanol; and a research pipeline to accelerate commercialization of alternative biofuels technologies. DuPont sales to biofuels markets have more than doubled over the past five years to more than $300 million.
Crop Genetics: “Over the past decade, agricultural biotechnology has emerged as a high value-driving technology in major crops such as corn, soybeans and cotton,” John said. “Given growing market needs for energy alternatives, energy security and environmental sustainability, we believe the growth opportunities from Pioneer’s position as a leader in seed genomics can begin to meet the growing demand for agricultural feedstocks that will be used to create new bio-based products.”
Fuel Cells: DuPont’s product offering includes advanced materials such as DuPont™ Nafion® perfluorinated membranes, which have been used in fuel cells for more than 35 years, as well as high-performance membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). DuPont is active in the development of both hydrogen and direct methanol fuel cell technology.
DuPont owns one of the world’s largest patent estates in biotechnology, covering both the rapidly growing agricultural sector and the emerging industrial sectors, and currently ranks second among patent holders in this area.
“The growth potential from the pipeline outlined today is the result of the company’s commitment to biotechnology and its market focus to deliver high-performance products that utilize clean energy technologies,” said John.
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