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• Two green buildings feature cutting-edge technology and Dow Corning applications for optimized energy efficiency
• €9m investment expands Dow Corning’s capacity for researching solar cells and silicon-based materials in Europe

	Dow Corning’s SEED research center was designed and built with sustainability in mind, using novel Dow Corning technologies as well as clean energy sources to achieve some of the highest energy efficiency standards.

Dow Corning, a global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, today announced the completion of its new state-of-the-art research and development facility in Seneffe, Belgium. The Solar Energy Exploration and Development (SEED) center includes a Solar Application Center and a Silicone Synthesis Technology Center.

The 9 million Euro (13 million $) addition to Dow Corning’s global innovation capacity aims to advance research in new silicon-based materials and solar cell efficiency.

“This investment will accelerate innovation and growth,” said Dr. Gregg A. Zank, vice president and chief technology officer of Dow Corning Corporation.  “By having this facility in Belgium, we will have access to very talented scientific people throughout Europe to work collaboratively on sound science and technology to develop sustainable products and applications for our customers.”

“The completion of the SEED research center marks another milestone in Dow Corning’s investments in Europe,” says Klaus Hoffmann, president, Europe, Middle-East and Africa. “Europe provides access to a highly-skilled workforce and a broad variety of research and innovation resources. SEED’s addition to our European network demonstrates the regions’ strategic importance for the company’s success.” Last week, Dow Corning announced the completion of its 32,000 m² European distribution center, a €30m+ investment.  

The SEED complex was designed and built with sustainability in mind, using novel Dow Corning technologies as well as clean energy sources to achieve some of the highest energy efficiency standards. It acts as a showcase for the extensive possibilities of energy-efficient architecture:

• Dow Corning’s new Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) cover the entire construction, providing high insulating value in materials up to five times thinner than conventional insulation products, enabling maximal use of internal space.
• The center usesgeothermal energy, coupled with a heat pump, for heating and cooling.
• Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), a set of PV modules mounted as sun screens in front of the windows, reduce the need for cooling in the office area and simultaneously serve as power generators.
• Using Dow Corning’s structural glazed facade technology, the complex’s large, modern windows allow for more natural daylight in the building, while retaining insulation efficiency.

	Dow Corning’s Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) reduce the need for cooling in the office area, and simultaneously serve as power generators.

This combination of technologies has a measurable impact on the new facilities’ environmental footprint:

• Heating costs are anticipated to be 75% lower and electricity costs 70% lower than an equivalent conventional construction.
• An air-recycling system will allow the SEED laboratories to achieve a 65% energy gain compared to conventionally designed labs, representing a saving of 290 tons of CO₂ per year.

'We have used and protyped many of Dow Corning's innovations and novel applications, pushing the limits of technical possibilities in optimizing energy use for a laboratory, facility, and answering the sustainability demands of new construction standards," says Patrick De Graeve, managing project engineer at Group IPS, the architects who designed the SEED.

Installation of lab equipment in the facilities has started, and research activities within the SEED are expected to start in the first half of 2012.

 

About Dow Corning
Dow Corning provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company’s Dow Corning® and XIAMETER ® brands. Dow Corning is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated . More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States. Dow Corning’s global operations adhere to the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care® initiative , a stringent set of standards designed to advance the safe and secure management of chemical products and processes.

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