Alliance member NorSun has received the first ever EPD certifying a low CO2 footprint for their mono-crystalline silicon wafers. The news release can be seen below, and you can see the actual certification here.
NorSun's wafers first in the world to receive Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), certifying its low CO2 footprint
Oslo/Aardal 4 February 2021
NorSun, the Norwegian solar energy company that manufactures and markets high performance mono-crystalline silicon ingots and wafers, today announced that their wafers, as the first in the industry, have received «Environmental Product Declaration» (EPD) certifying its leading low CO2 footprint.
The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is globally valid and an independently verified and registered document compliant with Product Category Rules NPCR 029, v1.1 (EPD Norge) in accordance with international standards ISO 14025, ISO 21930 and EN 15804 communicates transparent and comparable information about the life-cycle environmental impact of products. Asplan Viak AS, one of the leading consulting companies in Norway, is behind the EPD for NorSun’s wafers.
- In a fast-growing market for solar energy, we see a growing interest for low carbon footprint solar modules, said Carsten Rohr, NorSun Vice President Business Development. Many solar energy customers are eager to include carbon footprint requirements in their tenders to measure and minimize Scope 3 emissions. With our wafers having an EPD, it will enable an objective assessment of the carbon footprint from the wafer production. We expect the module producers to follow suite and hence, providing solar energy clients worldwide a tool to assess carbon footprint as part of their procurement processes, Rohr said.
Solar energy has over the last few years become the fastest growing and most cost-efficient renewable energy source worldwide. In a targeted transition to a more climate neutral power production, solar energy has become an important tool. We now see a growing number of markets and commercial customers focusing on the climate footprint from the entire solar value chain from raw material to installed product. Independently verified EPD will help solar customers worldwide make relevant and valid product qualifications for their projects, as well as enabling life cycle carbon footprint estimations.
For many years NorSun has been the leading western producer of monocrystalline wafers for ultra-high efficiency solar cells. Wafer production at the NorSun factory in the village of Årdal, Norway, is based on hydroelectric power free of any carbon emissions. Currently, the company is doubling the production capacity to about 1 GW per year, introducing new technologies, and significantly reducing unit costs. NorSun aims to expand further to a total of 4-5 GW within the next few years.
NorSun is a founding member of the Ultra Low Carbon Solar Alliance and the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC).
Contact details:
NorSun
Carsten Rohr, VP Business Development - mailto:carsten.rohr@norsun.no
Tel. +47 959 01 965