News: Photovoltaics
5 June 2024
First Solar becomes solar industry’s first EPEAT Climate+ Champion
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA says that its Series 6 Plus and Series 7 TR1 products are the world’s first PV solar modules to achieve the EPEAT Climate+ designation, establishing a new benchmark for the solar technology and manufacturing industry.
EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) is a globally recognized ecolabel that includes independent validation and allows for the easy identification of environmentally preferable products from socially responsible companies. It addresses the whole product life-cycle, including managing substances in the product, manufacturing energy and water use, product packaging, end-of-life recycling, corporate responsibility, and human rights.
EPEAT Climate+ makes EPEAT the only global ecolabel to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the different stages of solar module production, and products receiving the designation must meet the ultra-low-carbon threshold of ≤400kg CO2e/kWp. EPEAT Climate+ helps purchasers to quickly identify technology products designed and manufactured with climate change mitigation in mind, allowing them to reduce scope 3 emissions of solar installations.
“EPEAT Climate+ helps ensure that purchasers and investors are able to prioritize ultra-low-carbon solar technologies that meaningfully support decarbonization efforts,” says Bob Mitchell, CEO of the Global Electronics Council (GEC). “This is a simple, yet effective tool to mitigate life-cycle carbon impacts of solar modules, while enabling a market for responsibly manufactured technologies that embody sustainability.”
First Solar’s thin-film PV modules are claimed to already set industry benchmarks for quality, durability, reliability, design and environmental performance, adding that its Series 7 modules have the lowest carbon and water footprint of any commercially available PV module.
“With EPEAT Climate+, our customers now benefit from a global standard that allows them to confidently procure solar modules that lower their scope 3 emissions and are responsibly made,” says Samantha Sloan, VP of policy, sustainability & marketing, First Solar. “We encourage other manufacturers to embrace this global validation standard and contribute to the effort to reinforce our industry’s license to operate.”
First Solar’s Series 6 Plus and Series 7 TR1 became the first solar modules to be included in a list of nearly 1500 products produced by leading electronics brands known as EPEAT Climate+ Champions. The firm intends to validate the environmental footprint of its Series 7 FT1 module, which is manufactured in India, with the goal of achieving an EPEAT Climate+ designation.
