Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors within the renewable energy field. Over the past four years, the global PV market has increased at a compound annual growth rate of 47 percent to approximately $17 billion in overall sales, with widely held expectations of up to $50 billion by 2012.

Typical PV systems include solar modules, mounting structures and electrical components for power conditioning. All PV power panels use encapsulants to hold the module components together and to protect the core semiconductor circuit from external stresses.

STR is one of the leading providers of high quality, superior performance encapsulants - marketed under the trade name PhotoCap® - for the solar module industry. STR's 100 global customers include many of the top names in the module business, as well as companies on the cutting edge of the next technological wave. Some of our business relationships go back 30 years to when STR scientists developed the first commercial terrestrial encapsulants made specifically for PV.

Over the years, STR has developed many of the major industry innovations, including: encapsulants with superior dimensional and long-term photo-thermal stability, ultra-fast curing encapsulants, flame retardant encapsulants, custom laminates with exceptional layflat characteristics, thermoplastic encapsulants, very low-temperature encapsulants, and encapsulants formulated especially for thin-film solar modules.

STR's global production capacity is unparalleled. We operate multiple state of the art production lines in four factory locations - three in the United States and one in Spain. A new production facility is currently in the advanced stages of construction in Malaysia and is slated to begin operation in early Q4 2008. Our Malaysia plant will primarily serve the growing need for high-quality encapsulants in Asia, while allowing our other facilities to focus more on their local markets.

STR has established this global footprint as a means to continue to improve the level of service to our customers by reducing transportation time and cost, expanding production to meet evolving customer needs, improving customer and technical service, and reducing risks relating to a single-facility operation.

As a result, STR is able to function like several suppliers in one - with back up production capacity, supply chain, warehousing, and distribution strategically positioned around the globe.

As a recognized innovator in the solar encapsulant business, STR continues to set the bar at the very highest of levels.

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