Viridian Solar in World First for Environmental Product Declaration

First Globally Recognised EPD for a Crystalline Solar PV Module

February 2023

Viridian Solar today announces that it has published an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for its Clearline fusion range of in-roof solar PV modules. In doing so it becomes the first manufacturer of crystalline solar modules to have its products certified to a globally recognised standard*.

The culmination of many months of effort to map supply chains and quantify component materials, the EPD lays out in detail the global warming impact and primary energy consumption associated with the product from cradle to grave, considering extraction, manufacture, transport and finally disposal at end of life. In addition, figures are given for other environmental impacts such as water consumption

The EPD was created according to ISO 14025:2006 and EN 15804:2012+A2:2019/AC: 2021 and has been checked and registered with The EPD International System, the world's first and most recognised EPD programme.

Stuart Elmes, CEO at Viridian Solar said:

"In recent years great strides have been taken towards reducing the emissions that a newly constructed building will emit for heating, cooling and power over its lifetime. This has been achieved in part by building codes that promote more energy efficient buldings and also from the decarbonisation of the electricity supply. Solar PV has played a big role in that success story.

Attention is now, rightly, turning to the carbon emissions associated with the construction of buildings - principally from energy used in the manufacture the building materials. I am proud that Viridian Solar is leading our industry in providing architects, developers and landlords with credible information to help "

KT Tan, CTO at Viridian Solar said:

"The embodied carbon figures for our Clearline fusion solar PV modules confirmed in the EPD mean that, using a representative figure for the carbon intensity of UK grid electricity, the panels pay back the carbon emitted in manufacture in under four years. This figure doesn't take into account the offset carbon that would have been required to manufacture the tiles that the solar panels replace on the roof, which will act to further reduce the energy and carbon payback time. "

* Note: The EPD was prepared using internationally agreed (and relatively recently published) Product Category Rules (PCRs) for the assessment of PV panels, specifically c-PCR-016 Photovoltaic modules and parts thereof. The PCR outlines the assumptions that must be used in the calculation. For example the carbon intensity to use for materials or processes where supply chain specific information is not available. For solar panels the assumptions on the production of silicon wafers are highly significant in the outcome, so EPDs prepared using different national or regional PCRs or generic PCRs such as "building materials" will not be comparable with one another.