SunPower has submitted its first response to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which works with shareholders and businesses to disclose the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of major corporations. SunPower says its CDP submission is one of the first from a solar power company.
SunPower's global operations generated GHG emissions totaling 328 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per megawatt of solar cells produced in 2009. The carbon intensity of its global operations decreased approximately 10 percent from 2008 to 2009 thanks to improved solar cell efficiency, increased economies of scale and other investments, according to the company.
In the CDP response, SunPower lists 23 measures it is taking to further reduce carbon emission intensity, including steps to improve lighting, air conditioning and equipment efficiencies at the company's manufacturing plants.
"SunPower's investment in research and development to improve our high-efficiency solar panel and systems technology has substantially reduced our carbon intensity since we began manufacturing in 2004," said SunPower CEO Tom Werner, in a statement.
"Beyond our internal carbon footprint reductions, our solar rooftop systems and power plants operate without generating greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore our customers' use of SunPower systems avoids many times the amount of greenhouse gases generated in their own manufacturing and delivery operations," he added.
Some of SunPower's latest projects include a 20-megawatt solar power installation for the Casino Group, a 15-MW photovoltaic power plant to be built at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Ariz., and a 500-kilowatt rooftop solar power system for Harvard University.
