LONGi Makes Case For Net Zero Manufacturing At WEF Davos

As one of the newest recipients of the World Economic Forum (WEF) “Lighthouse Factory” recognition, Chinese solar giant LONGi made a strong case for net zero manufacturing powered by clean energy. For LONGi, which will celebrate it’s 25th year of founding in 2025, the journey to be the leading solar player has been truly impressive.

LONGi is the world’s largest manufacturer of solar photovoltaic and has been instrumental in making solar energy become more affordable and abundant around the world.

In December 2023 LONGi announced that it had been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a “Global Lighthouse Factory”, one of only 153 factories around the world with such recognition and the world’s first solar module factory listed. These Lighthouse factories are listed as such in recognition of their progress in advancing sustainability in manufacturing.

There is no viable path to reaching the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement and further commitments from COP28 in Dubai without accelerating the decarbonization of manufacturing operations and supply chains, which account for nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is what the WEF seeks to address.

LONGi’s production facility in Jiaxing, China was awarded this Lighthouse status due to its use of digital technologies including AI and automation to promote intelligent manufacturing that reduces production costs, delivery cycles, and energy consumption. Adoption of these technologies reduced energy consumption per unit by 20%.

“We will seize this opportunity to continue leading the low-carbon and digitized development of the photovoltaic manufacturing industry. We look forward to playing a more proactive role in the global energy transition, contributing greater efforts to promote the widespread adoption and sustainable development of clean energy”, says LONGi Chairman Zhong Baoshen at the award ceremony of WEF’s Global Lighthouse Network.

As highlighted in its 2023 Climate Action White Paper, LONGi has made monumental strides toward clean energy development, including slashing operational emissions per revenue unit by nearly 40 percent in 2022. Additionally, 47 percent of LONGi’s total electricity consumption is now sourced from sustainable alternatives, eliminating approximately 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

These production advancements have allowed LONGi to produce solar modules at a global scale, helping the company also advance projects in less developed countries, part of its “Energy Equity” strategy. “Clean energy should be available to everyone,” noted Chairman Zhong, “as the sun is a natural resource that every person on Earth has access to.” LONGi is committed to contribute to the global clean energy transition, making the value of sunlight accessible to all and enabling everyone to enjoy clean and affordable solar energy.

At the panel, Chairman Zhong also explained how LONGi’s efforts go beyond solar technology, as the company is also a pioneer in developing hydrogen energy. Hydrogen is one of the cleanest, most efficient forms of energy, 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. Although the global proportion of green hydrogen remains below 1 percent, Chairman Zhong explained that it will become an inevitable choice for deep decarbonization, especially in the transportation sector.