Using Volvo’s Electric Vehicles to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of the Solar Supply Chain

It’s a fact. Everything has a carbon footprint. Even renewable energy solutions like solar panels that have a green head start have some carbon output as they travel to a customer’s home or business. At SunPower, we pride ourselves on clean energy solutions that reduce carbon over time, but to truly exercise environmental stewardship, we must consider the full journey of our products.

Transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and the nation’s economy is heavily dependent on it. In fact, heavy-duty trucks make up only 5% of vehicles on the road yet account for more than 25% of overall U.S. transportation emissions. That’s a big slice of pie.

But there’s good news ahead. Commercial load electric vehicles are emerging as a cleaner, cost-effective alternative to diesel trucks. At SunPower, we’ve seen firsthand what happens when you marry solar and electric vehicles from reducing dependence on fossil fuels, to generating savings. There’s no doubt that the two are a winning combination. It’s why we announced our alliance with Wallbox in July and now we’re bringing Volvo’s electric trucks into the mix.

Volvo recently announced at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo how we are working together to decarbonize our supply chain by leveraging Volvo’s battery 8 trucks to deliver high-efficiency solar panels. Not to mention, the facility where the trucks are charged has solar installed, creating a full green circle! The Volvo VNR Electrics will be dispatched by Kuehne & Nagel International AG, a global transport and logistics company and SunPower’s longstanding third-party logistics company. We are excited to be one of the first solar companies to leverage an electric fleetof heavy-duty trucks to fulfill our transit needs and lead the renewable industry in the sustainable freight movement.

When looking for the right partner to electrify our supply chain, SunPower wanted to team up with a company that shared our values of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Volvo Trucks not only understands the important need to reduce carbon emissions within the transportation industry, they have put actionable goals directly in the driver’s seat with environmentally responsible solutions. SunPower aims to do the same.

Now, when delivering our solar + storage solutions across North America, you can be confident we are further reducing our carbon footprint by:

• Leveraging an electric commercial fleet enroute to deliver your solar energy solutions to distribution facilities with a goal of replacing carbon-based vehicles with electric in the near future.
• Reducing mileage by exploring new distribution centers and cutting travel time.
• Packing trucks more densely to ship more product with less mileage through Dependable Highway Express (DHE) and other carriers.
• Using trains to help transport goods. Trains have significantly less carbon emissions than other traditional forms of shipment.

SunPower has a long history of focus on sustainability when it comes to the lifecycle of its solar panels, including the recycling process. Removing the carbon debt of solar power not only amplifies the value of our technology, it helps people like you feel better about committing to alternative energy sources. And more importantly, it’s how SunPower is changing the way our world is powered.

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Original Source: https://us.sunpower.com/blog/2021/08/31/volvo-heavy-duty-electric-trucks-help-reduce-carbon-footprint-solar-supply-chain