Air Products Initiates Gas Supply Contract With Taiwan´s Green Energy Technology

Air Products announced it has begun supplying bulk and specialty gases to Taiwan-based solar energy company Green Energy Technology´s new thin-film photovoltaic (PV) production facility in Kuanyin Industrial Park, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

The contract between Air Products and GET calls for long-term supply of nitrogen as well as silane and the requisite gas delivery equipment and piping.

GET has built a generation 8.5 large-sized thin-film PV plant in Kuanyin Industrial Park. By leveraging the thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) experience of its affiliate company, Chunghwa Picture Tubes  - the fifth largest TFT-LCD supplier worldwide -GET began thin-film line mass production in December 2008. GET plans to reach an annual capacity of 30 megawatts (MW) in the first quarter of 2009 and reach 50MW by the end of 2009.

"Air Products is very excited to be working with GET as their gas supply partner, and we feel our expertise and complete turnkey offerings will enable a fast ramp up to meet the company´s growth plans," said Corning Painter, Air Products´ Taiwan-based vice president and general manager, Global Electronics Division. "We continue to work on new offerings to drive down our customer´s cost per watt with innovative technical, product and equipment solutions. We are also positioned to meet the growth needs of our customers around the world, especially in Asia."

Air Products´ photovoltaic (PV) business last year won more than 20 new contracts in Asia serving both the crystalline and thin-film PV markets.

GET´s thin-film PV modules, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, will be manufactured in much the same way as TFT-LCDs. As one of the leading suppliers to the TFT-LCD industry, Air Products is ideally suited to supply the new facility.

"Our strong supply position in the TFT-LCD market, coupled with our comprehensive low-cost, turnkey offerings specifically designed for photovoltaic customers, has enabled Air Products to grow with this emerging industry," added Painter.

With the demand for renewable energy and improved efficiency on the rise, Air Products is well positioned to take advantage of these developing markets with its expertise and project experience in areas including large scale hydrogen supply for cleaner transportation fuels, developmental work on the hydrogen economy, hydrogen vehicle fueling and infrastructure, leading natural gas liquefaction technology, and now the growing supply of gases and services for the photovoltaic industry.