CO₂ compensation for selected glass-glass solar panels
Solarwatt is the first system manufacturer in the solar industry to offer its customers the option of offsetting CO₂ emissions from selected glass-glass solar panels. And we are proud of that!
No matter how careful you are, the production of any technical product always involves greenhouse gas emissions. This also applies to our solar panels, which are precisely designed to reduce emissions. A tricky question, because how do you ensure that these emissions have as little impact on the environment as possible? At our Dresden site, we use 100% green electricity, but emissions are still released at other points in the production chain. Unfortunately, these emissions cannot be completely avoided.
‘’Any emissions that cannot be avoided or reduced can be offset.‘’
Avoid. Reduce. Compensate.
What you don’t emit, you don’t have to offset. It is therefore best to save as much energy and emissions as possible. Of course, this is also our goal. We make every effort to avoid or reduce emissions as much as possible. In some cases, it is not possible to avoid emissions, in which case offsetting comes into play. By offsetting, we can still make a positive impact and keep our carbon footprint as small as possible.
Active together
CO₂ compensation is unfortunately not enough to solve the problem of global climate change. In an ideal world, every company and every consumer should do their best to keep their own carbon footprint as small as possible. This is why at Solarwatt we are constantly working to reduce raw material consumption in the production of glass-glass solar modules.By offsetting CO₂ emissions from the production chain for selected solar panels, customers can also ensure that their solar panels have a clean balance sheet from the start.
70%
Our survey showed that more than 70% of respondents are willing to pay an extra price for CO₂ offsetting. We not only welcome this trend, but also see it as our mission to continuously improve the carbon footprint of our products.
Environmentally aware
For our customers, reducing their carbon footprint has been made as easy as possible. All they have to do is tell their trusted installers that they want to offset emissions for the production of their solar panels. Our installers then arrange offsetting for the corresponding number of Solarwatt solar panels and receive a personalised certificate for the customer.
We support this CO₂ compensation project
Biogasprogramma in Kenia
Kenya’s biogas programme equips individual households with biogas plants. This makes households less dependent on polluting firewood and expensive fossil fuels. Cooking on biogas is fast, smoke-free and improves household health. The leftover residues serve as an excellent organic fertiliser that increases crop yields, giving families additional income. A real win-win situation for people and the environment.
The only drawback of biogas plants is actually the cost. By no means every family has the financial resources to make it happen. That is why this programme was created, whereby there are
credit partnerships with financial institutions have been established. By partnering with rural microfinance institutions and savings cooperatives, buyers of biogas plants get the most favourable credit terms. Revenue from the sale of carbon credits directly benefits biogas users in the form of after-sales services, training for biogas producers and other useful services.
Project results (as of March 2020):
- 14,950 smoke-free kitchens
- 103,440 direct beneficiaries
- 365,200 tonnes of CO₂ saved
- 223,000 tonnes of wood saved
- 13,700 people using generated manure
- 31 new start-ups
- 107 full-time jobs and part-time work for unskilled people
Our CO₂ compensation
This is how we proceeded
To determine the CO₂ footprint of our glass-glass solar panels, we looked at all components, such as:
- solar cell
- frame
- glass
- embedding material
- connection piece
- joining technology
Please note that the production of solar modules normally also plays a significant role in CO₂ emissions. Since we produce our Solarwatt solar modules in Dresden with 100% green electricity, this is not an issue in our case.
The calculation of our CO₂ footprint is based on internationally recognised standards such as ISO 14067* and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG). Our analyses include both primary data, i.e. data from our suppliers, and secondary data from leading databases.
The result is the carbon footprint in tonnes of carbon equivalents (t CO₂e) of a solar panel. This value forms the basis for the next step, namely determining the concrete cash compensation amount, which Solarwatt uses to buy certificates from high-quality climate and development projects.
*ISO 14067 defines the requirements and guidelines for quantifying the carbon footprint of products. The aim is to quantify the amounts of greenhouse gases emitted in relation to the life cycle stages of a product. Starting with the extraction of resources and purchase of raw materials, through the stages of production, use and until the end of the product’s life.
Source
This is how we select compensation projects
In principle, the emissions caused can be offset anywhere on earth. The goal is to achieve a balance in the global atmosphere. For our selection process, we placed particular emphasis on the following criteria:
Here, we choose climate projects from the Gold Standard Foundation. Developed by WWF together with more than 40 other NGOs, it follows particularly strict and holistic guidelines. Gold Standard projects are among the highest-quality climate and development projects and demonstrably contribute to CO2 emissions reduction and sustainable development.
In terms of project type, we have focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency, as they make a sustainable contribution to offsetting CO2 emissions.
Despite the fact that emissions can be offset at any location, offset projects have different impacts. These are significantly greater in developing countries: the business location is strengthened and we support other UN sustainability goals such as poverty reduction and access to clean energy with our offsets.
We ensure that the products we select improve not only environmental but also economic and social conditions, thus meeting other UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This brings additional benefits such as poverty reduction, access to clean energy, decent work and economic growth and other SDGs.
Solarwatt’s CO2 offset is based on the 2021 CO2 price of the national emissions trading scheme and is within a price range of 20 – 28€ per tonne of CO2 equivalent.
Pioneer in climate protection.
We are the world’s first system manufacturer in the solar industry to offer its customers the option to offset supply chain carbon emissions for selected glass-glass modules.