Sustainable Product Design
Regarding product design and sustainability credentials, Trinasolar defines every part of its business, from supplier selection and management to energy and emission management at the production level, and to substance recovery during the end-of-life phase. According to Lange, beyond creating economic value, this sustainable product design approach can help address and even mitigate current challenges. She provided an example of the Vertex S+ series PV module, which generates additional output with reduced inputs, such as lower energy and water consumption, less toxic hazardous waste (resulting in a lower carbon footprint), and thinner glass with a dual-glass structure (requiring fewer raw materials). Additionally, this module saves up to 1 kg of plastic by replacing the backsheet or enabling easier separation of materials (enhancing circularity), added Lange.
Sustainable Manufacturing
The manufacturing phase is where most adverse impacts occur, but it also presents the best opportunities for sustainability, says Lange. Trinasolar’s green and zero-carbon factory concept saved more emissions than were produced during operations, resulting in carbon-negative operations. For example, between 2015 and 2021, the total carbon emissions from production, operation, and R&D at all Trinasolar manufacturing bases amounted to 4.48 million tons. However, during the same period, carbon emissions were reduced by up to 4.82 million tons, thanks to PV plants, green electricity purchases, energy conservation, and consumption reduction, noted Lange.
Aligned with its sustainable manufacturing approach, the company has set a 2030 sustainable development goal to save up to 1 billion kWh of electricity in global operations by 2030. Trinasolar is pursuing this goal by heavily investing in running 100% of its operations on renewable energy (RE), both through captive generation and the purchase of green electricity. In addition to decarbonization at the manufacturing level, the company also focuses heavily on resource efficiency and circularity. Aligned with its clear objective of achieving zero waste landfills by 2030, Trinasolar claims to havehas already recycled more than 94% of waste at the operational level, while contributing to industry initiatives promoting the circularity and recyclability of its products, revealed Lange. For example, at the Chuzhou Storage Factory, Trinasolar says it saved approximately 16.49 million tons of steam condensate and exchanged heat for cooling water, resulting in significant GHG emission reductions and less consumption of tap water.
