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2015 SVTC Solar Scorecard Shows Growing Awareness Of PV Manufacturing And Recovery Issues

The San Francisco-based Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) has released its 2015 Solar Scorecard, which ranks manufacturers of solar photovoltaic modules according to a range of environmental, sustainability and social justice factors.

SunPower (97), SolarWorld (93), Trina (92), REC (82) and Yingli (80) earned the top scores in 2015.

The sixth-annual edition of the scorecard features new active participation from LG, Jinko, Kyocera, AUO and WINAICO. The 13 companies that responded to the 2015 Solar Scorecard represent just 35.8% of the total PV module market share, with the remainder of the information gathered from publicly available documentation.

“The number of companies committed to reporting environmental practices continues to fluctuate wildly from year to year,” says Sheila Davis, executive director of the SVTC. “The inconsistent participation is largely due to bankruptcies, restructuring and new entries into the solar PV manufacturing market. We need consistent, industry-wide sustainability practices and reporting procedures that consumers can expect from all solar companies.”

The latest scorecard shows movement on a number of issues related to the environmental impact from the manufacture of PV wafers and cells. Fourteen companies manufacture PV modules with amounts of cadmium or lead below regulatory thresholds set by the European Union, the world’s most stringent standard. This is an increase from 12 companies in 2014.

Methods used by PV manufacturers to report the use of hazardous chemicals to the public remain inconsistent. Only six PV manufacturers (Trina, AUO, SunPower, SolarWorld, Sharp and JA Solar) do extensive chemical emissions disclosure and reporting on their websites. Sixteen companies - up from 13 in 2014 - report one or more categories of emissions, such as hazardous waste, heavy metals, air pollution, ozone-depleting substances and landfill disposal.

Another important metric is the growing interest in the end-of-life recovery of PV products. Six PV manufacturers have written letters to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) seeking action on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for PV modules in the U.S. This number has doubled from the 2014 Scorecard. Most PV modules sold in Europe are covered by a pre-funded EPR scheme to ensure safe and responsible disposal. No PV modules in the U.S. come with EPR.

Over the past six SVTC surveys, 14 companies have said they would support public policy for an EPR scheme for PV modules - Aleo Solar, Avancis, Eurener, First Solar, REC, SolarWorld, SOLON, SoloPower, SunPower, Suntech Power, Trina Solar, Up Solar, Jinko Solar and Yingli. It should be noted that SolarWorld has expressed concerns about SEIA’s ability to lead an EPR program in the U.S.

“The SVTC Solar Scorecard requires PV module manufacturers to report on sustainability performance metrics; disclose environmental, health and safety certifications; and report other information,” says Dustin Mulvaney, associate professor at San Jose State University, who helped the SVTC interpret the scores. “These practices are increasingly commonplace in other electronics and semiconductor industries. The fact that company scores continue to increase is a sign that solar industry leaders are integrating sustainability reporting into operations.”

In November 2014, the SVTC announced plans to expand its scorecard into a standard that meets the criteria of the American National Standards Institute. With active manufacturer participation more than doubling in 2015, the SVTC believes that interest and participation will continue to increase as the Solar Scorecard transitions into a formal accredited standard by 2017.

 

Global Green Bank Network To Coordinate Funding For Clean Energy

A coalition of six green banks and two nonprofit groups has established the Green Bank Network to increase and accelerate investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency worldwide.

The founding partners of the initiative are the U.K. Green Investment Bank, the Connecticut Green Bank, the N.Y. Green Bank, the Japan-based Green Fund, the Malaysian Green Technology Corp. and the Australia-based Clean Energy Finance Corp.

The banks have appointed the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Coalition for Green Capital to spearhead the creation of the network. The ClimateWorks Foundation has agreed to provide seed funding.

The network hopes to increase the global impact of green banks by enabling them to collaborate more effectively, share and leverage individual bank experiences, publicize achievements, and grow the ranks of green banks worldwide.

 

PG&E Pledges 100% Solar Power For Its Operations Service Centers

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) says all of its nearly 100 operations service centers in northern and central California will be 100% powered by solar energy through the utility’s Solar Choice program.

Available early this year, the new program will give customers the option to purchase 50% or 100% of their electricity from solar sourced from new small to midsize solar projects in PG&E’s service area.

By choosing the Solar Choice program for its operations service centers - where local crews, vehicles and equipment are based - PG&E says it aims to raise awareness of the program and encourage customers to consider signing up, as well.

PG&E’s Solar Choice is designed to broaden access to solar power to include customers who are unable to install rooftop solar panels. PG&E says that under the program, enrolled customers will pay a modest cost premium each month. The utility intends to sign power purchase agreements for new solar resources to meet the requirements from facilities ranging in size from 0.5 MW to 20 MW.

“Solar power is critical to achieving California’s goals to reduce greenhouse-­gas emissions, and we strongly support its growth - whether it’s for customers who install rooftop solar or for others through our Solar Choice program,” says Geisha Williams, president of PG&E’s electric operations.

 

Massachusetts Clean Energy Job Market Sees Double-Digit Growth

The Massachusetts clean energy sector has grown by double digits for the fourth consecutive year and now employs 98,895 workers at 6,439 employers across the state, according to a new report from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).

The report finds that clean energy employment grew by 11.9% between 2014 and 2015 - the largest increase of any year since MassCEC began collecting data in 2010. In total, the number of clean energy jobs in Massachusetts has increased by 64% since 2010.

“With steady job growth over the past five years, the Massachusetts clean energy industry is robust,” says MassCEC Interim CEO Stephen Pike. “The clean energy sector is fueling small businesses and paying workers high wages across the state, from Beverly to Pittsfield.”

The report, prepared for MassCEC by BW Research Partnership, says that clean energy is an $11 billion industry in Massachusetts and represents 2.5% of the gross state product. Clean energy jobs represent 3.3% of the overall workforce in the state, the report adds, with three-quarters of workers earning more than $50,000 per year.

The clean energy industry is employing residents of every county in Massachusetts and has grown over the past year in each of the state’s regions, with the largest growth occurring in northeastern Massachusetts (16.8%) and central Massachusetts (13.6%).

MassCEC says that as clean energy jobs have grown, so, too, has the installation of clean energy technologies across the state. In July, Massachusetts passed 1 GW of installed renewable energy capacity - enough to power more than 152,000 average Massachusetts homes annually.