Joined by business leaders, academic experts and United Nations officials, LONGi‘s founder and president Zhenguo Li attended the “Innovation for Industrial Sustainability” event in New York, which was held on the margins of the 2023 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit. During the meeting, Mr. Zhenguo Li stated that LONGi will actively promote the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He confirmed that LONGi will continue to work vigorously to advance the concept and practice of green manufacturing, establish industry benchmarks, and drive the industry towards a zero-carbon future.
Energy transition: Chinese enterprises call for increased global collaboration in 10-point UN pledge
The event was jointly hosted by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Tsinghua University and UN Water. The “Our Responsibility and Commitment to A Green and Sustainable Future We Want” initiative was also signed at the event. It contains a collection of case studies that demonstrate the implementation by Chinese businesses of the SDGs and recommendations for industrial best practices. The pledge was formally presented to Li Junhua, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and by Zhenguo Li on behalf of the signatory companies. The 10-point initiative proposes that industries around the world work together with regard to the usage of resources, implementation of renewable energies, technological innovation, growth, and sustainable international collaboration.
Solar energy has become the most affordable source of energy thanks to the shift from poly to monocrystalline silicon technology initiated by LONGi
Zhenguo Li spoke at the “Addressing the Triple Planetary Crisis: Industry in Action” panel, explaining that the energy transition is the key element of climate action. Over the past decade, LONGi has transformed the photovoltaic sector with its monocrystalline silicon technology. This advance has significantly reduced global solar power generation costs by more than 90%. Photovoltaic plants have thus turned from an expensive, emerging renewable energy source to one of the most cost-efficient sources of electricity. Thanks to the continuous efforts of LONGi, the proportion of photovoltaic technology in the global energy mix has increased considerably.
From 2012 to 2022, LONGi produced 290 GW of photovoltaic products, resulting in a cumulative clean energy output of over 1.15 million GWh. Based on the average emission factor of the global power grid, estimated by the IEA (International Energy Agency), this is equivalent to avoiding 536 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. That accounts for 1.46% of the total global energy-related carbon emissions in 2022.
LONGi proposed the concept of "Solar for solar" as far back as the 24th United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2018. Behind this concept lies the ambition of producing clean energy from clean energy. In 2020, LONGi joined the RE100, EP100, EV100 initiatives in succession and participated in the SBTi, becoming the first Chinese company to join all four global initiatives. This year, LONGi’s near-term target has been approved by the SBTi, aligning with the 1.5℃ target in the Paris Agreement.
Back-contact technologies are set to become the future of module technology
Just as LONGi changed the entire photovoltaic industry by initiating and implementing the transformation from polycrystalline to monocrystalline technology, the company is now focusing on the next generation of solar energy technologies: back contact. This technology is known for its high efficiency and aesthetics, but the challenge has always been the low yields and cost-effectiveness since the manufacturing process for BC technologies is difficult and complex. According to LONGi’s R&D insights, it has become clear that the potential for continuous efficiency enhancements is considerably higher for back-contact technologies than with other technologies. As a result, the company invested massively in its R&D. By modifying the manufacturing process, LONGi significantly reduced the production costs and improved its efficiency even further. With the launch of its proprietary HPBC technology (Hybrid Passivated Back Contact) and the Hi-MO X6 module series, LONGi has made the mass production of Back Contact PV modules profitable. In 2023 alone, it plans to produce 30 GW of the Hi-MO X6 for the global market. Yet another step towards scaling up the technology, enabling customers to profit from the increased efficiency due to the lack of shading elements on the front side, but also to enjoy the increased energy yields compared to other technologies. The module’s aesthetics, however, are also unrivalled with the obsidian-black version of the module being a firm favourite among residential customers.
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