But amidst all the fanfare of COP28 negotiations, the range of pledges for future action towards addressing climate change, and calls for more action across the board of climate issues, COP28 also saw a refreshing amount of solutions that are already underway. One company leading this charge is the world’s largest solar photovoltaic producer LONGi.
LONGi had a significant presence at the COP28 summit with executives announcing several major partnerships and new initiatives. Days before the agreement was settled, LONGi Brand General Manager Talisman Huo spoke with media at the company's Solar+ Pavilion highlighting an impressive range of achievements that showcase both LONGi's corporate responsibility, new products, and huge clean energy production capacity. These highlights ranged from rolling out solar at an affordable and abundant scale, the company's efforts to reduce their emissions, a strategy for advancing hydrogen energy, and even initiatives using solar to aid in UN humanitarian efforts and wildlife conservation efforts.
"LONGi," Huo noted, "has the technology and production capacity to help the world reach these climate targets. We recognize the pivotal role that solar energy must play in addressing the climate crisis. Solar energy, harnessed through photovoltaic products, is one of the cleanest forms of energy available today. Silicon, the main carrier of solar energy, also boasts remarkable efficiency. The entire PV system, with a lifespan exceeding 30 years, yields over 100 times the energy consumed in its production."
LONGi's range of announcements throughout COP28 reinforced the company's position as a clean energy leader by delivering affordable solar power at scale around the world. By 2050, solar PV power is envisioned to account for nearly half of the power system dominated by renewable energy, and companies with global production capacity like LONGi will be vital to making this happen.
But the company also has ambitious plans for another form of clean energy, hydrogen power. While solar photovoltaics (PV) will play a pivotal role in realising global carbon neutrality goals on the electricity front, other forms of clean energy such as hydrogen need to see breakthroughs in other sectors.
Hydrogen is an attractive solution, but its production often requires large amounts of energy. LONGi is implementing what it calls "green hydrogen" by using solar and other clean energy sources to produce hydrogen. As outlined in the UN's "Guiding Principles for Climate-Aligned Hydrogen Deployment," using renewable energy for "green hydrogen" production aligns strictly with the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature control goal. Although the global proportion of green hydrogen remains below 1 per cent, we believe that it will become an inevitable choice for deep decarbonisation, primarily in the transportation sector.
Using clean energy to produce clean energy in LONGi's operations goes beyond just the production of hydrogen. The company also released a white paper at COP28 highlighting a range of emissions reductions throughout their business. The report shows how LONGi slashed operational emissions per revenue unit by nearly 40 per cent in 2022. Additionally, the report highlights how 47 per cent of LONGi's total electricity consumption is now sourced from sustainable alternatives, eliminating approximately 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions just from their operations.
LONGi is the world's largest PV producer hailing from China, the country with the majority of global PV production capacity. China holds 80 per cent of the world's solar manufacturing capacity. In 2023, China is expected to produce 400GW of solar module capacity, equivalent to the power yield of two Three Gorges Dams.
Huo concluded his talks with LONGi's commitment to not just produce solar technology but leverage its unique position to facilitate the energy transformation process worldwide. "LONGi and our new partners are jointly working to champion sustainable development, energy equity, and environmental resilience on a global scale," he noted, "LONGi strives to be a key player in addressing climate challenges and fostering a more eco-friendly and equitable future through both research and development of solar technology and in our partnerships and sustainability commitments. This is a critical juncture, demanding a collective effort from individuals, governments, and businesses alike to adequately address climate change. Solar energy and hydrogen will play a crucial role in this, and LONGi is committed to not only meeting the demands of the present but also addressing the challenges of tomorrow."