Panels as Clean as the Energy they Produce

SunPower strive to not only produce the highest efficiency panels in the industry, but also the most sustainably made. In other words, they aim to deliver panels as clean as the energy they produce.

2018 Product Impact Update

SunPower customers around the world now enjoy more than 10.3 GW of panels that have cumulatively generated about 75 terawatt hours of clean energy, avoiding 43.6 million tonnes of CO2. To put these numbers into perspective, this is equivalent to removing 11 million cars from the road for one year.1

SunPower’s sustainability benefits derive from leading the industry in high efficiency and low degradation rate.2 By producing up to 60% more energy than conventional panels in the same space over 25 years,3 our panels help customers minimise the physical and environmental footprints of their solar solutions. Their higher lifetime energy can also offset significantly more GHG emissions.

Here is what customers helped to accomplish in 2018 by choosing SunPower® panels:

  • Solar Energy Generation: 14.5 terawatts (+24% from 2017)
  • CO2 Avoided: 9.0 million tonnes (+18% from 2017)

2018 SunPower Product Sustainability Update

Solar panels produce energy sustainably and SunPower wants to ensure their manufacturing processes are as sustainable as the energy their products generate. SunPower envision a circular model in which resources are carefully chosen and conserved upfront (energy, water and materials), then kept in use as long as possible. They have pioneered sustainability efforts around this idea of circular economy -prioritizing high recycled content components (24% in our glass and 20% in our frames, which together represent about 85% of the weight of a SunPower panel). Further, they are the first and only solar manufacturer to disclose their panel ingredients through the Declare label.

Their 2018 metrics demonstrate that while SunPower panels are efficient, so are the manufacturing practices. As their products helped hundreds of thousands of new customers lower their emissions, SunPower focused on lowering their own. They also reduced their global manufacturing energy and water footprint, becoming more efficient in their processes. Here are key ways SunPower improved its own sustainable practices in 2018:

  • GHG Emissions: 11% Reduction of CO2/MW shipped (Scope 1 and Scope 2)
  • Total Energy Use: 14% Reduction in MWh
  • Solid Waste Generated: 13% Reduction in Metric Tonnes
  • Percent Solid Waste Recycled: 89%

While there is always more to be done, SunPower are proud of these sustainable achievements and hope that our customers take pride in choosing the sustainable option.

The SunPower Mexicali, Mexico plant was re-certified by NSF Sustainability as Zero Waste to Landfill. This means that this facility diverts more than 99% of its waste, with 1% or less going to landfills.

Changing the way our world is powered is a commitment we share with our customers. Together, we can truly make a difference, and we think the future has never looked brighter.

 

https://www.sunpowercorp.co.uk/blog/panels-clean-energy-they-produce

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