Silicor Materials Commits to Carbon Neutrality At Iceland Solar Silicon Plant
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Silicor Materials has announced its plan to achieve a carbon-neutral status at its manufacturing facility in Iceland. To do this, Silicor will fund the planting of over 26,000 trees to offset the yearly production of 2,800 tons of CO2. (Forty-eight tons of CO2 is created during its process of manufacturing solar silicon, which is used to make solar photovoltaic products.)
The process is already efficient in that it uses no toxic chemicals, and produces no waste that winds up in landfills.“It’s not enough for renewable energy companies to produce materials that support the growth of our industry. To leave a lasting positive impact, we must also adopt environmentally conscious business practices and reduce our own reliance on fossil fuels. We chose to site our plant in Iceland in part because it allowed us to use 100-percent renewable energy to power our operations. By taking our commitment one step further and achieving carbon neutrality, we aim to serve as a barometer on environmental stewardship for organizations around the world,” explained Terry Jester, Chairman and CEO of Silicor.
When at full capacity, the Iceland facility will have a nameplate capacity of 16,000 metric tons of UMG polysilicon annually. It will run on renewable energy, as well as become carbon neutral. One might say a manufacturing plant that operates on renewable energy perhaps is environmentally friendly enough, especially considering that many do not. It is certainly admirable that a company decides to do both.
Lowndes County, Mississippi was originally the intended site for the plant, but international trade issues made that location less favorable. Iceland was chosen later and it seems to be a very good selection because of all the local renewable energy. Hydropower and geothermal generate all of Iceland’s electricity, so Silicor’s new plant will be contributing to the solar industry, while being truly green.
Image Credit: Silicor Materials
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