Smart Energy for a Cleaner Future

Meeting a Global Challenge

The use of fossil fuels is threatening to change life as we know it. Rising temperatures are changing landscapes, threatening wildlife and altering weather patterns all over the world. The electricity generation industry alone accounts for one-fourth of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Understandably, climate change has emerged as a serious priority for us all. The rate of future development and deployment of cleaner energy technologies will determine to a large extent whether climate change will remain manageable.

REC is committed to reducing its environmental impact at each step of the production process. We maintain a leading position in the renewable energy industry through continuous development and implementation of innovations that promote product improvements, cost reductions and diminished environmental impact.

Lowering Our Carbon Footprint and Reducing
Energy Payback Time

REC’s low carbon footprint is the result of the high energy efficiency of its manufacturing processes, which exceeds the industry average. Precisely monitored large-scale production and extensive use of hydroelectric power contribute to REC’s ongoing efforts to reduce its impact on the environment.

To help track environmental progress REC asked Utrecht University in 2007 to analyze each of its four production units – silicon, wafer, cell and module. The results showed record-low carbon footprints compared to any other PV manufacturing technology. The analysis also revealed that energy payback time for solar systems with REC PV modules was lower than for those of other manufacturers.

With the implementation of the fluidized bed reactor (FBR) silicon process, new ingot crystallization furnaces, thinner wafers, higher cell efficiency and more efficient use of glass and aluminum in each module, we expect to further lower our carbon footprint and reduce energy payback time to less than one year, bringing the PV industry to a new level of environmental excellence.

For more information on REC’s commitment to environmental excellence, please see our white paper, REC: A Commitment to the Production of Clean Energy. (550K PDF)