DSM opens solar technologies hub in India

INDIA-Royal DSM inaugurated its Solar Technologies Demonstration Center at its DSM Engineering Plastics facility located in Pune, India. The state-of-the-art solar technology hub aims to demonstrate the performance of DSM's innovations in solar technology and will also reduce the plant's CO2 footprint by using the renewable energy generated by the solar plant to meet 25% of the site's electricity needs.
With technology for solar energy playing a key role in a more renewable energy balance of the future, DSM is helping promote the use of solar energy by focusing on the development and commercialization of technologies and materials solutions that increase the efficiency and yield of solar modules, thereby increasing the energy generation and reducing the cost of solar electricity. 

KhepriCoat, an anti-reflective coating developed by DSM Advanced Surfaces, significantly increases the efficiency of solar panels by enabling more light to enter a solar device. At the demonstration center, the coating is successfully applied to panels of different makes and models, validating its performance for the solar industry. The center will also test a new light trapping technology which DSM is developing, which gives solar panels a performance boost utilizing smart 3D structures in a thin plastic foil. 
All over the world, demand for energy has been on the rise. DSM recognises the need to use alternative energy solutions even for its own facilities. One example of this approach is the DSM Engineering Plastics site in Pune that can now obtain 50% of its total electricity requirements from renewable sources, of which 25% from the Solar Technologies Demonstration Center at the site and 25% already coming from wind power. 
The Pune site is one of the first sites that use 50% renewable energy and DSM intends to increase this ratio in the future. The site has also reduced its water consumption by two-thirds.