Risen Energy switches to steel frames on solar panels because of aluminum’s high carbon-footprint

The carbon neutrality mandate puts the onus on the Chinese solar PV sector to shift to raw materials with lower carbon emission and less energy consumption. Steel processing far outperforms the electrolytic aluminum equivalent in terms of carbon emission and energy consumption reduction; 13,500 kWh of thermal power is required to produce one tonne of aluminum, equivalent to 11.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) while similarly, 4,500 kWh of power and corresponding 1.8 tonnes CO₂ is needed to produce one tonne of steel.

“Whatever your belief,” said Mr. Sun, president of Risen Energy Co., Ltd. “environmental pollution and carbon dioxide emissions affect us all. It is simply not good enough for us to proclaim that we are making an impact of reduction of these elements by providing and using solar PV modules, we must do more. Moving to this uniquely constructed module is a step in the right direction.”

Simply swapping out aluminum for steel of any type is not a simple exercise. Corrosion resistance, strength and cosmetic issues all need to be considered and evaluated. The high strength alloy steel frame looks, for all practical purposes, the same as the one made of aluminum, yet Risen says it out performs in strength, corrosion and weather resistance because of the use of corrosion-resistant zinc-aluminum-magnesium coating as well as Risen Energy’s unique surface treatment technology. After more than a year of efforts in reliability testing and design optimization, Risen Energy’s fully upgraded Titan series of modules has received IEC certification from the independent testing and certification organization TÜV SÜD, demonstrating that the upgraded series fully meets the needs of various application scenarios of PV power generating systems.

News item from Risen