Trina Solar Gets Carbon Footprint Verification For Its Solar PV Modules

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Trina Solar continues to put emphasis on environmental aspects of its solar photovoltaic modules, as it recently got the carbon footprint of its solar module manufacturing verified for a second time.

Trina Solar Carbon Footprint
Carbon & power footprint of Trina Solar’s module manufacturing process (Source: Trina Solar)

The British Standards Institution (BSI) verified the carbon dioxide emissions emitted during the manufacturing of solar photovoltaic modules by Trina Solar. According to a press release issued by the company, the Carbon Footprint Verification, which is based on standards PAS 2050 and ISO 14067, is widely used as a means of quantifying the carbon footprint of a range of goods and services. The verification involves assessing the carbon footprint at various stages of a product’s life cycle, such as the acquisition of raw materials, the process activities phase, and packaging.

In June 2013, the company obtained the ISO14064 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Verification Certificate from BSI. Trina Solar has managed to significantly reduce the emissions generated during the manufacturing of its solar PV modules. Between 2010 and 2013, the CO2 emissions generated per MW of solar modules manufactured has fallen by more than 45%. In 2013, its footprint was 174 tonnes of CO2 per MW of modules.

The electricity consumption per MW of module production has fallen 64% between 2009 and 2013 to 206 MWh per MW of modules manufactured. Water footprint of the manufacturing process has fallen 54% between 2009 and 2013, while wastewater discharge per MW has fallen by 52% during the same period.

During this period (2009–2013), the company has managed to increase its solar module shipments by more than 6 times. From an investment on environmental issues of about $12 million in 2009, the company has increased the figure to $16.7 million in 2013.

Some of the measures taken by the company to reduce its carbon footprint include energy reuse, using process cooling water to cut down on refrigeration energy, use of carbon emission–free public transportation systems in Europe, and video conferencing.


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Mridul Chadha

Mridul currently works as Head-News & Data at Climate Connect Limited, a market research and analytics firm in the renewable energy and carbon markets domain. He earned his Master’s in Technology degree from The Energy & Resources Institute in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Mridul has a keen interest in renewable energy sector in India and emerging carbon markets like China and Australia.

Mridul Chadha has 425 posts and counting. See all posts by Mridul Chadha