AIQUY L Air Liquide (PK)

Chemical giant Dow Chemical (DOW) has reached a key milestone which reinforces its position as a leader in polyolefin encapsulants products that make high-performance photovoltaic (PV) systems. 

 

PV modules with Dow’s ENLIGHT polyolefin encapsulant films recently showed zero potential induced degradation (PID) loss when put through third-party testing methods which simulated over 25 years of product deterioration. PV modules are gaining importance as a viable source of renewable energy in the market. 

 

PID, a key benchmark to assess the effectiveness of PV systems amid a stressful environment (including high temperature and humidity), takes place when a module’s voltage potential and ion mobility degrade the solar cells and minimize the module's power output capacity. 

 

The performance of PV modules with ENLIGHT was validated by firms such as Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (CSP) and Photovoltaik Insitut Berlin (PI-Berlin). Tests by these firms confirmed ENLIGHT’s high volume resistance, low moisture vapor transmission rate as well as zero degradation of power from PID that outperformed the PID-free industry standard (less-than or equal to 5% energy loss). The test results revealed a new level of risk mitigation with zero PID.  

 

Dow’s shares were up 1.2% in the trading session last Friday. The stock has racked up around 44% return over a year and gained roughly 11% so far this year. 

 

Dow’s ENLIGHT polyolefin encapsulant films have been designed for use in photovoltaic solar panels. Photovoltaics is the conversion of sunlight into electricity.

 

Dow offers several commercial grades of ENLIGHT films that help customers meet their specific needs. These films offers better module stability and increased electrical performance vis-à-vis conventional encapsulants such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA)-based materials. The ENLIGHT films enable panel manufacturers to potentially increase yield and capacity by reducing production time by up to 30%.

 

Dow, in Apr 2014, secured device patents from the U.S. and European Union (EU) for photovoltaic encapsulant films used in solar panels. These patents cover electronic devices having polyolefin encapsulant films with specific commercially significant physical, mechanical and compositional properties. These patents coupled with patents already received in China and Philippines place Dow among the industry’s first to secure global device patents for polyolefin encapsulant films used in PV modules.

 

Dow continues to develop technologies that exploit the power of the sun and helps in converting solar energy into an efficient source of electricity. In addition to ENLIGHT, the company’s other notable offering includes the DOW POWERHOUSE solar shingle roof system.

 

Dow is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock.

 

Other companies in the chemical space with a favorable Zacks Rank include Compass Minerals International Inc. (CMP), L'Air Liquide SA (AIQUY) and Koninklijke DSM N.V. (RDSMY). While Compass Minerals carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), both L'Air Liquide and Koninklijke DSM retain a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).