Yingli Solar Has Already Surpassed Its 2015 Targets For Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions
Yingli Solar has already surpassed its 2015 targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, as part of its membership in the WWF Climate Savers program.
Of particular interest is that the company decreased its “GHG emissions intensity per MW of PV module produced” by roughly 22% in 2013 (as compared to a 2010 baseline) — exceeding its 2015 goal by around 9%. The other main takeaways are that: Yingli lowered GHG emissions from purchased goods and services per MW of PV modules produced by about 12% (5% over its goal); and that it lowered GHG emissions from upstream transportation by about 17% (7% over its goal).
Worth noting is that, of course, these numbers are coming to us via an internal inspections report — not a third party. Still, there must be at least some truth to the figures — how much number-fudging could there actually be?
As part of these reductions, the company has invested notable amounts of capital into a number of solar PV projects, as well as installing solar systems to power most of its PV module manufacturing plants. Altogether (as per the end-of-2013 figures), Yingli Solar has invested into projects (it’s not clear if these are partial investments or not) that are estimated to generate roughly 167.85 GWh of electricity annually. As far as the solar projects developed on its own facilities/sites, the company has so far installed infrastructure capable of generating roughly 39.3 GWh of electricity annually — representing somewhere around ~4.05% of its total electricity consumption in 2013.
These reductions were reportedly achieved thusly:
To achieve these results, the Yingli worked with TUV to establish its GHG Managing System as a platform to monitor and control GHG emissions and energy consumption across all of its operations. Yingli also improved energy utilization throughout its entire production chain and launched “Green Supplier Action” program, which requires its leading suppliers to adopt ambitious energy efficiency and GHG reduction commitments, and made energy consumption levels and GHG emissions important criteria in supplies qualification. In addition, Yingli developed a comprehensive multi-year plan related specifically to logistics in order to reduce GHG emissions during the transportation of PV modules and raw materials.
The Vice President and Chief Climate Officer of Yingli Green Energy, Mr Jingfeng Xiong, commented on the achievement of the reductions: “We are pleased to cooperate with WWF and showcase our commitments to the sustainable development and progresses in reducing our GHG emissions through the global leadership platform, as reducing our own environmental impact is one of our most important corporate objectives. As a leading global renewable energy company, Yingli is dedicated to the pursuit of green, low-carbon manufacturing and business operations while providing clean energy for all.”
Related Stories:
Yingli Solar Ranked As Top Preferred Solar PV Brand In 2013 In New IHS Survey
Yingli Solar Named A Top Supplier To Fuji, Expanding In Latin America
Yingli Solar Reaches 10 GW Global Solar PV Module Delivery
Image Credit: Yingli Solar
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