Air Products Selects Suppliers for Solar Farm at US Headquarters

Project Will be One of Largest Silicon Thin-Film Installations in US

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. – Air Products (NYSE:APD) today announced it has chosen Blue Sky Solar as its turnkey installer for its 2MW solar farm at its US headquarters in Allentown, Pa. Blue Sky Solar will be executing the project with Newkirk Electric Associates providing the mechanical and electrical construction.

Blue Sky Solar will be installing silicon, tandem thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels from ENN Solar and Astronergy, two Air Products customers. Both ENN and Astronergy use Air Products’ SunSource™ Solutions—a complete portfolio of gases and materials, equipment and services—to manufacture their silicon thin-film panels.

Thanks to some early engineering work, including the optimization of the solar field size with the inverter equipment, Air Products now expects to generate about 2MW of electricity versus the previously announced 1.5MW. By utilizing the 2MW of renewable power, Air Products reduces its dependence on purchased electricity thereby lowering its carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint by approximately 2,000 tons per year. The 2MW of electricity are enough to serve the energy needs of more than half of Air Products’ administration buildings.

Silicon thin-film solar panels, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, are manufactured in much the same way as thin-film transistor-liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD). As one of the leading suppliers to the TFT-LCD industry, Air Products is ideally suited to supply silicon thin-film manufacturers.

“Air Products’ SunSource Solutions provide photovoltaic manufacturers with the ability to improve their production and drive down their costs-per-watt, bringing them closer to the goal of grid parity,” said David Tavianini, worldwide PV marketing manager for Air Products. “Air Products is pleased to see the US solar market continue to expand and is proud to be building one of the largest silicon thin-film installations in the country.”

While Air Products provides its SunSource Solutions to several PV technologies, silicon thin-film panels were selected because they provided the lowest cost of energy for the project parameters. Their advantageous performance in diffuse light―the light most typical in the US Northeast―and their cost-effective installation for large area projects were drivers in the sourcing selection. Air Products expects to begin construction this fall and have the installation onstream in the spring of 2011.

For more information on the project, please visit:
www.airproducts.com/solarfarm

Air Products (NYSE:APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of $8.3 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more information, visit:
www.airproducts.com