Evolving standards for supply chain traceability
Investors and purchasers of photovoltaic equipment want to ensure that the products they source comply with increasingly stringent environmental, social and governance policies. Over the past 18 months, the sourcing and refinement of polysilicon in PV modules has come under international scrutiny due to suspicions of forced labor in the industry. PI Berlin’s Steven Xuereb discusses supply traceability audits the company has conducted. It has assessed the risk that modules might involve supply chains out of line with legislation or corporate ESG policies, and the risk of imports being seized or blocked.
Survival of the fittest
Fronius International is an established EU solar manufacturer. The Austrian PV inverter maker has not only remained profitable over the years, but is also a leading sustainability champion – recognized in the 2021 pv magazine Awards when it was named the Publisher’s Pick. As part of the UP Initiative’s focus on EU manufacturing, the Fronius team talks survival strategies and the importance of adopting green production practices.
Financing plant combinations
Battery business models are evolving, as the technology shows its worth on more of Europe’s grids. Experts from international law firm Osborne Clarke provide an overview of the legal framework for solar energy and battery storage combinations in Germany from a lender’s perspective.
Final thought: Environment permitting
By Robin Laine, CEO of US-based permitting company Transect.
Investor perspective
The urgency to mitigate climate change and the need for more energy independence in many countries will boost demand for renewable energy to unprecedented levels. Meanwhile, trade conflicts, the logistics crisis, and insufficient supplies of raw materials have disrupted supply chains for the past two years. This has resulted in higher prices for solar equipment, challenging the predictability of on-time delivery and the quality of products. Sebastian Petretschek, TÜV Rheinland’s global head of PV power plants, examines the key issues in module procurement for investors.
Decision time India
India is expanding solar cell production capacity in a big way. Will manufacturers go down the established mono PERC route or leapfrog to advanced n-type technologies? Uma Gupta investigates.
No ordinary lending
ESG investing is growing quickly, including the practice of sustainable lending. Sustainability-linked loans are a part of the green financial wave, and as it breaks, new efforts are codifying the shape that these financial instruments should take for lenders and borrowers alike, writes Climate First Bank
CEO Ken LaRoe.
Final thought: Keeping up with the future
Ulrike Jahn, senior project manager, VDE Renewables
Making tandem cells stack up
Perovskite tandem technology is shaping as the route to PV cell efficiencies well beyond 27%. But building the tandem stack in a way that can be scaled into gigawatt production is not a trivial challenge, says Sebastian Gatz, VP photovoltaics for German equipment supplier Von Ardenne.
Loose threads
Material sustainability is fast rising up the solar and energy storage agendas. Increasing amounts of renewables, the electrification of sectors like transport, and a critical supply chain situation are just some of the reasons why. In Q4 2022, the UP Initiative is delving into the world of resources to find out what is being done to address these challenges. Of particular interest are steel, aluminum, glass, and precious metals like silver, copper, and cobalt.
