Leading the Solar Industry Toward a Sustainable Future
Jinko Solar, the first company to deliver 100 gigawatts of solar modules globally, is a leader in renewable energy. Not only are the company’s products of the highest quality, but Jinko Solar is also the first in solar manufacturing to commit fully to powering 100% of operations with renewable energy in the near future — and that future is now. Specifically, Jinko Solar pledged to source 70% of its energy from renewable sources by 2023 and 100% from renewable sources by 2025.
Committing to the RE100 and EP100 Pledges
The company signed on to Climate Group’s RE100 initiative global movement that seeks to obtain large businesses’ vows to switch to 100% renewable energy.
By signing on, Jinko Solar not only joined a roster of well-known and highly respected companies including Apple and DuPont, but also became a leader among them. Jinko Solar was the first in solar manufacturing and storage to join. Moreover, the target dates of 2023 and 2025 were quite aggressive when compared to some other companies’ timelines.
Jinko Solar also signed on to Climate Group’s EP100 pledge. The energy productivity pledge is specific to large businesses within energy production, seeking to encourage faster and more renewable energy production. The plan is to boost energy production by 30% by 2025 and to implement an advanced energy management system by 2030.
“It’s fantastic to see Jinko Solar leading by example on cleaner, smarter energy use and investing in solar power and energy-efficient cooling,” said Yuming Hui, China director for Climate Group. “By joining RE100 and EP100, Jinko Solar is putting itself on the map in a busy week for global climate action and demonstrating what can be done. The private sector has a vital role to play in accelerating China’s clean economy, and we hope many more companies will follow suit.”
Jinko Solar’s Commitment to Renewables
It makes sense that a large manufacturer of solar panels and batteries like Jinko Solar would sign up for this particular campaign. When the company joined, it meant that one of the biggest names in solar manufacturing boldly stated it would make a big move toward renewables. In this way, Jinko Solar truly led the industry both in production and in commitment.
As part of the EP100 pledge, Jinko Solar also joined the EP100 Cooling Challenge, which tasks businesses to find more efficient ways of maintaining the climate within their headquarters and other corporate facilities. Although this involves a much smaller commitment, it’s a highly symbolic action.
According to a Jinko Solar spokesperson, “Going green is our business, from the inside out, and we’re thrilled to be the world’s first solar manufacturer to be a member of RE100 and EP100 simultaneously. It makes business sense to save energy and switch to renewables. Being a responsible corporate citizen is more than just good business practice — it helps make society more sustainable and healthy.”
A Multifaceted Strategy for Going Renewable
Transitioning such a large company, even one in the renewable energy sector, to powering operations with 100% renewables requires a multifaceted strategy.
First, Jinko Solar increased its purchases of solar-generated electricity from JinkoPower. While the two are separate companies, the familiarity made the purchase agreement easier to implement. In fact, this is one reason why Jinko Solar was able to promise such an aggressive timeline for switching over.
Second, Jinko Solar dramatically increased the solar generating capacity at its factory locations. Generating solar onsite is one of the most cost-effective ways to utilize renewable energy like solar power.
Third, all future development by Jinko Solar needed to be located in areas where renewable energy is already affordable and accessible, such as hydro-rich regions. The company specifically searched out places rich in renewable energy sources when deciding where to place new production lines.
Switching to renewable energy also had built-in cost savings since in many cases, Jinko Solar was manufacturing the products needed in the power generation. Reducing energy usage, such as at corporate offices as part of the EP100 Cooling Challenge, also netted direct savings.
Jinko Solar Leading by Example
In making these pledges, Jinko Solar effectively works as a case study for its own products. One of the questions surrounding solar is simply whether enough energy can be produced to meet the high demands of industrial users. Powering such a large company with renewable energy affirms that businesses can source renewables to shift their energy usage.
Jinko Solar also further solidified its place among the leading companies pursuing environmentally friendly operations. In total, almost 450 companies have joined forces with Climate Group. Jinko Solar was one of the early adopters and continues to pursue this transition at a rate that sets a high bar for others.
Despite many challenges and changes, Jinko Solar remains fully committed to the targets it initially outlined several years ago. All companies have dealt with supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the aftereffects still reverberate. Jinko Solar has had to manage those while growing at a near breakneck speed.
None of these hurdles have prevented the company from pursuing the pledges it made. Jinko Solar’s pledge remains on target and continues to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy to other companies. That’s what makes Jinko Solar a true leader.
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