BASF showcases innovative solutions at Intersolar North America, booth 5447

FLORHAM PARK, NJ, July 10, 2012 -- BASF will showcase its portfolio of innovative solutions for the solar industry at Intersolar North America, July 10-12, 2012, at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, California.

In addition to products and solutions that allow efficient production and enhanced performance of photovoltaic modules and solar thermal products, BASF experts will be on hand to discuss the company’s solutions for the entire value chain for solar cells, as well as new development opportunities.

BASF solutions for light stabilization for film manufacturing and framing and support components

Tinuvin^® 1600 is a high performance ultraviolet (UV) light absorber for transparent outdoor thin section applications. The product’s outstanding UV absorption capacity makes it ideal to enable biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate films to become a key component for photovoltaics (PV) and other solar power devices. With Tinuvin 1600, PET films are now a viable alternative for PV, getting the industry closer to grid parity by making solar energy more cost effective.

Tinuvin 1600 helps to extend the durability and life expectancy of products under intense exposure to UV light. Specifically, the high-performance and

light-stable UV-filter is perfectly suited to long-term outdoor use for up to 25 years or more.  Tinuvin 1600 belongs to the class of triazines and exhibits very low volatility, excellent thermal stability and good substrate compatibility in a variety of polymeric resins, which also makes it ideal for PMMA/PC films and laminations for solar power applications.

BASF plastic additives enable all plastics used in photovoltaic modules to withstand exposure to heat (Irgafos^® and Irganox^®)and sunlight (Chimassorb^®, Tinuvin^® and Uvinul^®) light stabilizers. They are tailor-made for the various plastic resins used in photovoltaic applications, such as encapsulates, frames, back sheet films and electrical components, and meet the lifetime minimum requirement of 25 years.

BASF solutions for solar framing and support structures, connectors and junction boxes

COLO-FAST^® polyurethane (PU) casting system offers a quick, economical and reliable framing of photovoltaic and solar panels. The UV-stable and weather-proof PU casting system is able to replace traditional aluminum frames. Additionally, COLO-FAST offers customers a choice of color and a variety of frame designs that fulfill high aesthetic demands. The technology enables the installation of clamping elements and electrical components in one step.

BASF offers polyamides Ultramid^®A3X2G7 andUltramid^®A3XZG5 for connectors and junction boxes. Both materials are certified on the basis of the f1 weathering test (UL).  BASF’s Petra^® polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Ultradur^® polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and Ultramid^® polyamide (PA6) plastics are ideal for frame, attachment, and mounting applications, as they lower installation cost through part integration, exhibit high impact resistance at low temperatures and offer exceptional UV resistance.  The plastics are ideal for solar PV and concentrated solar power (CSP) plants.

BASF solutions for insulation

Basotect^® melamine foam is used for insulating the Gobi line of solar flat plate collectors manufactured by Heliodyne of Richmond, California, one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of solar collectors in the United States. The Gobi line is Heliodyne’s flagship product that has continuously been refined and optimized for over 30 years.

Flat plate solar collectors use solar energy to produce hot water for residential and commercial buildings. Water or heat transfer fluid is heated as it passes through panels that are designed to amass heat from the sun. One essential aspect of the collector design is the thermal insulation that is used to retain the heat in the collector.

Solar collectors that are stagnant, meaning that the liquid is not flowing through the collector, can reach temperatures that exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Basotect can withstand these temperatures unlike other polymeric foam insulating materials, such as polyisocyanurate, that start to degrade at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

BASF solutions for solar cell cleaning

BASF offers and develops solutions for etching, texturizing, doping and cleaning mono- and poly-crystalline solar cells. The range is extended by the innovative cleaning fluid SELURIS^® Clean. Treatment with SELURIS Clean prior to phosphoric acid doping provides both final pre-dope wafer cleaning and efficient surface hydrophilization resulting in excellent dopant wetting.

BASF solutions for silicon wafer production

Pluriol^® fluids allow wafer cutters the flexibility to design cutting slurries that match their process requirements. The Pluriol portfolio ensures optimized wafer products economies through constant high quality and yield, and less defect and breakage.

BASF solutions for thermal energy storage

BASF produces high purity sodium nitrate for thermal energy storage in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Molten salt enables grid-stable, dispatchable power production.

BASF solutions for concrete technologies

BASF offers a range of innovative concrete admixtures and fibers for concrete applications, including the foundations of molten salt storage tanks for CSP plants. These admixtures and fibers add various attributes to the concrete in its fresh and hardened states, providing benefits for concrete producers, contractors and owners:

• RheoTEC™ Z-60 is a workability-retaining admixture that promotes consistency in compressive strengths via minimized job-site addition of water, as well as expanded concrete delivery range.
• Delvo^® stabilizer is a hydration controlling admixture that provides flexibility in scheduling of placing and finishing operations.
• Glenium^® series of high-range water-reducing admixtures offer enhanced workability, and also help in achieving higher compressive strength and flexural strength at all ages.

To learn more about the BASF’s expertise in solar, please visit www.basf.us/solar.

BASF – The Chemical Company

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $20 billion in 2011. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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