Air Products India JV Signs Two Photovoltaic Contracts
Air Products Gains Foothold in Emerging India PV Market
LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., Sept. 9 - Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced its joint venture in India, INOX Air Products Ltd., has recently signed two new contracts with leading Indian photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers for the company's SunSource(TM) Solutions gases and materials to support the burgeoning India PV market.
INOX Air Products has signed a long-term gas supply contract to provide bulk and specialty gases to HHV Solar Technologies Pvt. Ltd (HHV Solar) at its new thin-film PV fab in Bangalore. The contract calls for the supply of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and argon, as well as specialty gases, including silane, methane and dopant mixtures. In addition, INOX Air Products will provide the total gas management at HHV Solar's research, development and demonstration fab.
INOX Air Products will also supply Jupiter Solar Power Ltd, a subsidiary of Jupiter International, with specialty gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, silane and ammonia, to its new PV facility at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh, India. Jupiter Solar Power Ltd is setting up PV solar cell manufacturing facilities in Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal at an aggregate investment of Rs 1,500 crore (~US$300 million).
"India is an emerging PV market with strong support from the government. We are honored to be selected as the supplier for these two PV projects in India. Our expertise in thin-film PV applications and complete set of SunSource PV offerings can help our customers continuously drive down their cost-per-watt through enhanced plant efficiency," said Corning Painter, Air Products' vice president and general manager, Global Electronics Division. "We are in a better position to support the fast-growing solar energy market with these two contract wins."
India, thanks to its embracing of new technologies and strong demand for renewable energy, is rapidly emerging as an important PV market. In addition, many regions of the country experience significant sun irradiation, or prolonged exposure to strong levels of sunlight, which can help cheaply power remote areas that are without access to the power grid.
Last year, Air Products won more than 20 new contracts in Asia serving both the crystalline and thin-film PV markets, and has since signed gas supply contracts with leading PV manufacturers including Best Solar and CHINT Solar in China, Green Energy Technology in Taiwan, and Gadir Solar in Spain. Air Products' long-standing history serving the semiconductor and thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industries from their inception to current times makes it ideally suited to serving the thin-film PV industry.
Air Products' SunSource Solutions offers a portfolio of gases, chemicals, equipment, on-site services and project management that will help provide a faster ramp-up and ability to reach grid parity sooner for manufacturing operations.
With the demand for renewable energy and improved efficiency on the rise, Air Products is well positioned to support these developing markets with its expertise and project experience in areas such as large scale hydrogen supply for cleaner transportation fuels, developmental work on the hydrogen economy, hydrogen vehicle fuelling and infrastructure, leading natural gas liquefaction technology, and now the growing supply of gases and services for the photovoltaic industry.
For more information on Air Products' photovoltaic offerings, please visit: www.airproducts.com/sunsource .
Air Products (NYSE:APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment. Air Products had fiscal 2008 revenues of $10.4 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 21,000 employees around the globe. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com.
Source: Air Products
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