Mulvaney on SVTC's 2014 Solar Scorecard
Every year, the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) sends out a survey to PV solar manufacturers. Though companies do not have to respond, this does not stop the SVTC from evaluating them. It simply means there is less information and, consequently, they receive lower marks. The “Industry Leaders” on SVTC’s 5th annual 2014 scorecard are: Trina Solar (92), SunPower (88), Yingli Green Energy (81), SolarWorld (73) and REC (71).
Some of the better known names to receive below average marks are Canadian Solar (14), JA Solar (10), Hanwha SolarOne (11), Kyocera (18) and Solar Frontier (19).
...
Only 29 of the 37 companies evaluated this year are displayed on the scorecard. The industry’s average score, out of a possible 100, was 31.
“The companies that score at the top range and are considered leaders are typically the ones over the past five years who have taken time to fill out the survey,” Davis added. “Many have really improved their performance over several years. They are committed to environmental practices and making this known to the public.”
“They have very robust sustainability practices and emissions reporting and they are making this information available,” said Dustin Mulvaney, SVTC Science Advisor and Assistant Professor at San Jose State University.
Additional Resources
How Green are Those Solar Panels, Really? on NationalGeographic.com
Booming Solar Industry Failing to Report on Internal Sustainability on SustainableBrands.com
Solar industry leaves sustainability survey in the dark on GreenBiz.com