In an attempt to grow along with the burgeoning interest in solar energy, science-based product and service company DuPont has announced it has committed $175 million in additional funds to expand its photovoltaic product lines.

The newly invested money will join $120 million that had previously been invested for capacity expansions announced last August to build a DuPont Tedlar PV2001 oriented film capacity, which is used as an essential component for the photovoltaic backsheets used in solar panels.

With the expansion, which will cost $295 million and be done in time to begin production in September 2011, DuPont will be able to provide enough Tedlar film for more than 10 gigawatts of photovoltaic module production.

"The photovoltaic market increasingly demands materials that enable modules to reliably deliver power for decades," said David B. Miller, president of DuPont Electronics & Communications. "This major expansion underscores our commitment to maintaining DuPont leadership in the photovoltaic industry and specifically in the backsheet materials market for solar panels."

The move to expand their photovoltaic market was done in anticipation that the demand for photovoltaic backsheets will "grow rapidly" in the years to come and increase solar energy continues to grow as an earth-friendly means of energy creation. By 2012, DuPont said it expects sales of products in the photovoltaic industry to exceed $1 billion.