http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable- ... cs-ranking
As more solar electricity lights up homes and businesses across the country, it also spotlights a growing, thorny issue: how do you recycle discarded solar panels safely? And should solar companies follow a set of sustainable practices similar to those in the electronics industry?
That debate could grow louder with the release of the latest Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) “solar scorecard” (http://www.solarscorecard.com/2014/scor ... istory.php) Tuesday. The scorecard, based on survey responses and publicly available information, ranks 37 solar manufacturers’ actions and commitments to practices such as reporting emissions, using water and energy efficiently, avoiding the use of conflict materials and promoting workers’ health and safety.
For companies that also develop and build solar power plants, the coalition looks at how they incorporate wildlife conservation into their projects.
“When the cleantech movement started, the solar industry had a lot of the similar environmental impacts as the microelectronics industry that the SVTC had looked into,” said Sheila Davis, executive director of the coalition. “We wanted to ensure that the solar industry is clean.”
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The No 1 spot goes to Trina Solar, a Chinese company that received 92 out of 100 points. SunPower, based in Silicon Valley, grabbed the second spot with 88 points, followed by Yingli Green Energy (81), also a Chinese company. Germany-based SolarWorld (73) and REC (71), from Norway, complete the top five listings.
Eight companies, which include Suniva, Andalay Solar, Jinko Solar and Hyandai, scored below 10........
.......Canadian Solar, which has a score of 14, said in a statement that the coalition was demanding too many details about the company’s business practices. The company said it refused to respond to the survey and contended that the score is inaccurate because the coalition “penalizes companies that did not participate in the SVTC survey”.
“To conclude, if the SVTC does not change their communication and ranking practices, we may seek legal action,” said the statement from Canadian Solar.
