Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, has opened its newly constructed manufacturing plant for KhepriCoat® anti-reflective coating at the Chemelot site in Geleen (Netherlands).

The need for additional coating supply is a direct result of the fast growing market for solar energy.

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KhepriCoat® anti-reflective glass coating is an IP protected product, developed by the DSM Innovation Center. The coating is primarily targeted at solar applications. The coating – a thin nano porous layer with a thickness of approximately 100 – 150 nm – is applied on the cover glass of solar modules and strongly reduces the reflection of sunlight. The result is an increase in the energy output of these modules up to 4%. KhepriCoat® is marketed through DSM Advanced Surfaces, one of the new growth platforms developed within the DSM Innovation Center.

The plant was officially opened by Rob van Leen, Chief Innovation Officer of DSM and Ulrich Frei, Managing Director of Interfloat Corporation, the first licensee of the KhepriCoat® product in the European solar industry. Rob van Leen says: “DSM is contributing extensively to the future availability of renewable energy sources, with activities on both bio-based energy as well as solar energy. The market’s accelerated adoption of our KhepriCoat® coating has been the reason for increasing our manufacturing capacity on the Chemelot site.” Ulrich Frei says: “We are happy to have a partnership with DSM. KhepriCoat® is our preferred anti-reflective coating for our solar cover glass. Interfloat, like DSM, believes in high quality products. KhepriCoat® provides us the best in class transmission gain and outstanding durability, which supports Interfloat’s strategy in staying the leading solar glass manufacturer on the European market.”

Solar energy is widely recognized as an important alternative and renewable source of energy. Global installed photovoltaic capacity has reached 100GW by the end of 2012 (data from European Photovoltaic Industry Association). This can roughly generate 1% of global electricity demand and compares to 100 large size nuclear power plants. Worldwide growth of the global photovoltaic market is predicted to grow 10-20% annually (EPIA). DSM Advanced Surfaces is one of the three Emerging Business Areas (EBAs) of the DSM Innovation Center. These EBA’s are the growth engines for new business as part of the DSM in motion: driving focused growth strategy. DSM’s science-driven innovations help protect and improve the environment by improving energy and resource efficiency and by pioneering the development of alternative and renewable chemicals, materials and energy.

Together with the EBA Biobased Products and Services, the EBA Advanced Surfaces focusses on the enabling of sustainable generation of renewable energy sources.