The Dow Corning Corp. (Midland, Michigan; www.dowcorning.com) has announced that it will invest up to $13 million to expand its European capabilities to innovate with silicon-based materials and technologies. The investment in a Solar Energy Exploration / Development Center (SEED) includes two new buildings that will complement the company’s Business & Technology Center in Seneffe, Belgium. One building, a Synthesis Technology Center for the European area, will house laboratories and chemists focusing on innovations in silicon-based materials. The other, the European Solar Solutions Application Center, will focus on advancing the company’s technology for use in photovoltaic cells. Construction is expected to begin later in 2010.
Staffed by scientists and, engineers, the Synthesis Technology Center will be designed to support the exploration of new materials and develop new innovative solutions in industries such as construction, beauty and personal care, coating, plastics and composites, automotive and tire, healthcare, and electronics. A specific goal of the center is to shorten the innovation cycle to turn market opportunities and new ideas into profitable solutions for customers and for Dow Corning.
In addition to the company’s three current solar application centers in the U.S. and Korea, the European Solar Application Center will enable engineers and scientists to work with customers to develop, evaluate, and test silicon-based materials solutions used to make solar cells.
Dow Corning invests in innovation and solar energy
| By Dorothy Lozowski