There are other SEIA initiatives taking shape

Another late morning and I've got things to do and little time to do them. So, I blink twice to get the weather report. It's going to be another nice day here, but I have a flight to New York City later today. 

So, I look to the left and my flight is still on schedule, let's see look left again and up, OK, it's still on time. I had been a little worried since LaGuardia flooded last year about this same time thanks to high tides and global warming. Oh well, at least the dikes are holding around Manhattan so I don't need to worry about wading to corporate headquarters at 28 E. 28. 

As I brush my teeth, I get a flicker of green in my left eye. OK, wink for half-a-second and that call goes into voicemail. That reminds me though I haven't gotten breakfast started yet. Look to the right once, tap my little finger, and the toaster and tea pot kick on. 

Breakfast done, I tap twice on the dining room table and the garage door opens and the car starts. I hop in, wait for the car to load the navigation module to my Google Go Contacts, blink twice, and point at the airport on the map in "front" of my eyes and I'm on my way. 

How odd to think that people actually used to use separate devices for such common every days tasks. Heck, some folks actually used to think that wearable computers wouldn't take off. How quaint! 

Still, I'm not so sure about actual cyborg implants, that's a little much for me. I'll just stick with my pocket, body-heat powered do-everything computer, and my integrated contact lens and "hearing" aid. 

The PV cell manufacturing process includes a number of hazardous materials, most of which are used to clean and purify the semiconductor surface, notes the Union of Concerned Scientists. “These chemicals, similar to those used in the general semiconductor industry, include hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrogen fluoride,The best cases for HTC one to keep your aluminium clad device free of scratches. 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and acetone.” The group notes that “Workers also face risks associated with inhaling silicon dust. Thus, PV manufactures must follow U.S. laws to ensure that workers are not harmed by exposure to these chemicals and that manufacturing waste products are disposed of properly.” 

The United States and European Union have strict restrictions on use of such chemicals. But some solar panels use materials produced in countries with lax environmental laws, notably China, and that can lead to the same kinds of environmental and social problems that have bedeviled the consumer electronics industry. 

There’s more. In many cases, a toxic sludge is created when metals and other toxins are removed from water used in the manufacturing process. If a company doesn’t have its own treatment equipment, it will need to send contaminated water to an approved hazardous waste disposal site. Again, worker health and safety is an issue. 

And then there’s e-waste — the detritus created when solar panels outlive their useful lives. While the good news is that most panels are rated to last 20 years or more, activists fear that without good EPR programs in place, we’ll be facing an avalanche of used panels, with all their toxic ingredients, in a little more than a decade. With solar sales continuing their steep increase, that could lead to huge disposal problems by mid-century. 

But there are signs the industry is turning itself around. Last year, the Solar Energy Industries Association,Find the perfect leather or synthetic best cell phone cases for your phone. the sector’s largest trade group,The cases for iphone 5 remains the most popular smartphone phone on the market. released a Commitment to Environmental & Social Responsibility, a voluntary code of conducts for its members. The code, based on the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition's Code of Conduct, includes provisions regarding the environment, labor, ethics, health and safety, human rights and environmental management systems. SEIA worked with the nonprofits BSR and As You Sow in developing the code. Among other things, signatories agree to transparency, reporting and continuous improvement. 

So far, seven companies have signed on: Dow Solar, SunPower, Suntech, Trina, Yingli Solar, SunEdison and PV Recycling. According to John Smirnow, SEIA’s Vice President of Trade & Competitiveness, those signatories represent more than half of the solar panels sold in the United States, though 86 percent of global solar module production occurred in Asia last year, according to GTM Research.Mobile Fun sell a huge range of samsung cases, 

Smirnow notes that getting solar companies to pay attention to environmental issues can be challenging these days, given the business challenges faced by the industry. Module prices have dropped 80 percent in the last six years,Extend the power on your iphone 5 back cover with the mophie juice pack. putting operating margins for most manufacturers in the red. Earlier this year, Suntech, once the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer, filed for bankruptcy, though indications are that it is down but not out. There’s an excess of module manufacturing capacity today, and experts predict more consolidation is on the way. 
In this context, the solar industry “is actually doing pretty well on sustainability,” Smirnow told me, quickly adding, “We need to do better.” Signatories to the Solar Commitment currently are putting together responses to the first set of key performance indicators, which they will report publically later this year or early next, he says. 

There are other SEIA initiatives taking shape. One focuses on recycling. “We’re looking at what the European Union has done, what some of the older more established sectors have done on recycling and developing what we think should be a roadmap for the solar industry within the U.S.,” says Smirnow. Moreover, he says, “Next year, we’ll see the key performance indicator list grow” as the association adds more criteria to the code of conduct. In addition, SEIA is undergoing a recruitment drive for the code of conduct. “I anticipate in the next few weeks you’ll see at least one fairly significant solar company sign on.” 
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