Overexposed: a study on forced labour in Solar Panel Manufacturing (by Brand)

JKenH

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

A 100% coal powered grid as in the Uyghur region in China which is the subject of the report is estimated at 1016 g/kWh. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353549276_Research_on_carbon_emission_of_coal-fired_power_in_China   

You are quoting a report from 2017. I'm sure you won't be suprised to hear that things have moved on a bit since then. Here's some up-to-date data from this region:

"In 2024, more than 30 percent, or 39.2 billion kWh, came from renewable energy, helping reduce standard coal consumption by 11.86 million tonnes and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32.02 million tonnes.

The region also leads in new-type energy storage, with installed capacity exceeding 10 million kilowatts"

China's emissions are now estimated to be below 500g/kWh, so half the figure you quote.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-cuts-electricity-emissions-record-lows-2025-2025-07-16/

The link you provided refers to China as a whole. The figure of 100% coal generation I quoted came from the July/November 2023 report from Sheffield Hallam not a 2017 report. The 1016 g/kWh figure I quoted was from a 2017 report but that simply was a figure for the CO2 emissions from coal generated electricity and was not time sensitive. 

Edit: I am genuinely surprised at the pushback against criticism of China’s manufacture of solar panels using forced labour and fossil fuels. Do you really approve of what’s going on in Uyghur?

I was simply providing some alternative information to provide balance to your "facts" that come from biased, selective research.

I am in no way on here to support China or defend their human-rights issues. However, they are making significant progress in decarbonising their energy usage.

Hmmm. This graph suggests otherwise.



https://energyandcleanair.org/analysis-record-drop-in-chinas-co2-emissions-needed-to-meet-2025-target/

Yet again, you are quoting out of date information. We are already nearing the end of 2025, not 2023. Here's something that is more up-to-date from the same source:

https://www.carbonbrief.org/china-briefing-21-august-2025-chinas-co2-decline-two-mountains-chinas-cement-challenge/

If we are going to be picky: from your link.
Reuters reported that in July, which is not covered in the Carbon Brief analysis, China’s fossil-fuelled power generation “rose 4.3%…from a year earlier”, due to high cooling demand.

Magnitio

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

A 100% coal powered grid as in the Uyghur region in China which is the subject of the report is estimated at 1016 g/kWh. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353549276_Research_on_carbon_emission_of_coal-fired_power_in_China   

You are quoting a report from 2017. I'm sure you won't be suprised to hear that things have moved on a bit since then. Here's some up-to-date data from this region:

"In 2024, more than 30 percent, or 39.2 billion kWh, came from renewable energy, helping reduce standard coal consumption by 11.86 million tonnes and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32.02 million tonnes.

The region also leads in new-type energy storage, with installed capacity exceeding 10 million kilowatts"

China's emissions are now estimated to be below 500g/kWh, so half the figure you quote.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-cuts-electricity-emissions-record-lows-2025-2025-07-16/

The link you provided refers to China as a whole. The figure of 100% coal generation I quoted came from the July/November 2023 report from Sheffield Hallam not a 2017 report. The 1016 g/kWh figure I quoted was from a 2017 report but that simply was a figure for the CO2 emissions from coal generated electricity and was not time sensitive. 

Edit: I am genuinely surprised at the pushback against criticism of China’s manufacture of solar panels using forced labour and fossil fuels. Do you really approve of what’s going on in Uyghur?

I was simply providing some alternative information to provide balance to your "facts" that come from biased, selective research.

I am in no way on here to support China or defend their human-rights issues. However, they are making significant progress in decarbonising their energy usage.

Hmmm. This graph suggests otherwise.



https://energyandcleanair.org/analysis-record-drop-in-chinas-co2-emissions-needed-to-meet-2025-target/

Yet again, you are quoting out of date information. We are already nearing the end of 2025, not 2023. Here's something that is more up-to-date from the same source:

https://www.carbonbrief.org/china-briefing-21-august-2025-chinas-co2-decline-two-mountains-chinas-cement-challenge/

If we are going to be picky: from your link.
Reuters reported that in July, which is not covered in the Carbon Brief analysis, China’s fossil-fuelled power generation “rose 4.3%…from a year earlier”, due to high cooling demand.

So you managed to find that in July this year, due to excessive heat, China's fossil-fuelled power generation rose 4.3%. One month's results do not make a trend. 

Can you not accept that they are actually trying to move their energy generation to renewables whilst also being the world's largest manufacturing base and moving billions of people out of poverty? 

China is by no means perfect, but it is fully aware of the climate issues and is trying to reduce its impact.

JKenH

Screwdriva said:

JKenH said:

There will come a time however, say by 2030, when we will be producing more renewable energy than we need and more than our continental neighbours need. At that point we cease to displace gas and actually displace other renewable generation. As an example, the vast solar farms in Lincolnshire will be producing so much electricity on a sunny day that the electricity produced by the wind turbines in Scotland isn’t needed south of the border. At this point there is no CO2 benefit in the UK or elsewhere. We are simply displacing other CO2 free generation. As we continue to overbuild (our renewables capacity is expected to exceed demand significantly) more and more of our generation is just displacing other CO2 free generation. (Which generation source is chosen will at that point depend on pricing structures).

Once, however, we reach close to 100%, or even 95%, renewable generation then, because we are no longer displacing CO2 the ability to pay back that CO2 embedded in manufacture ceases on any overbuild. To achieve 95% or 100% renewable generation will require considerable overbuilding so either much of what is built out will sit idle or it will displace other older renewable sources so they sit idle with no CO2 payback. That is the big danger of overbuildiing. At the moment because gas fills in the peaks and troughs, renewable plant doesn’t  sit idle for very long, but if we are to have the generation capacity to meet our needs we have to build plant to sit idle just as we currently do with gas plant. Theoretical calculations of CO2 payback based on normal usage go out the window.

While I agree with the sentiment expressed, I don't see capacity rising quite as much. The wind industry is in serious consolidation mode in the Trump era, with Hornsea 4 having been cancelled.

Solar clearly has room to grow with < 45% of the total UK generation mix (across all fuel sources) on its best day to date. That said, I don't see a world where Grade 1, 2 or 3a agricultural land will be used at scale for power generation in a food insecure world, even under this government. 

The original point of this thread was to highlight the ethics (or lack thereof) of several PV component manufacturers, which I very much doubt the Solar farm planners are taking into consideration at any level. 

Yes, back on topic, these articles may be of interest to you.

'Great British Energy solar panels' were made in China

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1lj21pjn72o

GB Energy Blocks Use of Solar Panels Linked to Forced Labour

https://sustainabilitymag.com/articles/gb-energy-blocks-use-of-solar-panels-linked-to-forced-labour

The background to this decision from Google AI:

Key Details

• Initial Vote: In March 2025, the Labour government whipped its MPs to vote against a House of Lords amendment that would have prevented public money from being used to purchase solar panels if there was "credible evidence of modern slavery" in the supply chain.
• Backlash and Reversal: The decision faced significant criticism from MPs and human rights campaigners who highlighted widespread concerns about the use of forced Uyghur labour in the production of polysilicon (a key solar panel component) in China's Xinjiang region. Following this pressure, the government announced a U-turn in April 2025.
• New Commitment: Energy Secretary Ed Miliband committed to introducing an amendment to the Great British Energy Bill, which will explicitly require GB Energy to have supply chains free from forced labour. This means the UK will ban state investment in solar panels linked to forced labour.
• Scope: The ban specifically applies to the activities of the new state-owned Great British Energy company, which will be involved in new public solar projects on schools and hospitals. It does not constitute a blanket ban on all Chinese solar panel imports into the UK market, which might be challenging due to China's dominance in the global solar supply chain. 

JKenH

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

Magnitio said:

JKenH said:

A 100% coal powered grid as in the Uyghur region in China which is the subject of the report is estimated at 1016 g/kWh. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353549276_Research_on_carbon_emission_of_coal-fired_power_in_China   

You are quoting a report from 2017. I'm sure you won't be suprised to hear that things have moved on a bit since then. Here's some up-to-date data from this region:

"In 2024, more than 30 percent, or 39.2 billion kWh, came from renewable energy, helping reduce standard coal consumption by 11.86 million tonnes and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 32.02 million tonnes.

The region also leads in new-type energy storage, with installed capacity exceeding 10 million kilowatts"

China's emissions are now estimated to be below 500g/kWh, so half the figure you quote.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/china-cuts-electricity-emissions-record-lows-2025-2025-07-16/

The link you provided refers to China as a whole. The figure of 100% coal generation I quoted came from the July/November 2023 report from Sheffield Hallam not a 2017 report. The 1016 g/kWh figure I quoted was from a 2017 report but that simply was a figure for the CO2 emissions from coal generated electricity and was not time sensitive. 

Edit: I am genuinely surprised at the pushback against criticism of China’s manufacture of solar panels using forced labour and fossil fuels. Do you really approve of what’s going on in Uyghur?

I was simply providing some alternative information to provide balance to your "facts" that come from biased, selective research.

I am in no way on here to support China or defend their human-rights issues. However, they are making significant progress in decarbonising their energy usage.

Hmmm. This graph suggests otherwise.



https://energyandcleanair.org/analysis-record-drop-in-chinas-co2-emissions-needed-to-meet-2025-target/

Yet again, you are quoting out of date information. We are already nearing the end of 2025, not 2023. Here's something that is more up-to-date from the same source:

https://www.carbonbrief.org/china-briefing-21-august-2025-chinas-co2-decline-two-mountains-chinas-cement-challenge/

If we are going to be picky: from your link.
Reuters reported that in July, which is not covered in the Carbon Brief analysis, China’s fossil-fuelled power generation “rose 4.3%…from a year earlier”, due to high cooling demand.

So you managed to find that in July this year, due to excessive heat, China's fossil-fuelled power generation rose 4.3%. One month's results do not make a trend. 

Can you not accept that they are actually trying to move their energy generation to renewables whilst also being the world's largest manufacturing base and moving billions of people out of poverty? 

China is by no means perfect, but it is fully aware of the climate issues and is trying to reduce its impact.

To avoid taking this thread further off track I have replied on the Alternative Green Energy thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6071905/the-alternative-green-energy-thread/p167