“The world has set itself massive targets to reduce its carbon dioxide output and stop global warming, as per the Paris Climate Treaty and the Kyoto Protocol before it. People often ask me what new form of energy I believe in: solar, wind, biomass or nuclear fission. Well, that’s easy: all of them.
We need a huge effort in all areas to reduce our addiction to fossil fuels. Electric powered vehicles, solar farms, wind farms, hydrogen, methanol, thorium plants. Everything counts in order to stop putting more CO2 in the air. I salute all initiatives that are happening on Chemelot regarding CO2-reduction. They range from the use of biomass (Sabic, DSM, OCI, Yparex, InSciTe , and probably more) to developing the recycling of valuable raw materials (QCP to name but one) and lightweight structures for e.g. automotive parts.
Yparex developed a polyolefin-based encapsulant for PV panels. This gives these panels a long useful life by preventing corrosion of the electrical parts and an optimal conversion of the solar power. We recently received KIWA certification to support that claim. A sample is on display in the expo area of the entrance hall in Center Court. It is good to see that our neighbours such as DSM are actively improving the performance of other parts of these panels, which makes this a Campus effort.
We don’t believe that it makes sense if just one country dominates the solar industry. To support Europe’s climate ambitions, we also need a European industry to provide the necessary ingredients. Sure, mass production has its benefits. But there always will be segments, niches and quality requirements where a local manufacturer is more suited to supply the necessary ingredients. That is why we actively seek and find partners in Europe to set up the business chain for good quality solar panels. We will be able to put “Made in Europe” on PV modules again and I will be proud to see it happening.”
Meet & Greet
In this campus Newsletter we share Wouter’s future vision and business ideas, would you like to commend on them? You are invited to reflect and share your personal opinion with Wouter during lunch on Friday 6th of July, 12h @Fields of Gold, 1st floor Center Court.
No registration needed!
Wouter van den Berg
CEO Yparex, The Compound Company
