In this week’s news roundup, we discuss an ambitious plan by the United States military to reach net zero emissions and an important update in solar manufacturing.
Military releases plan for net zero emissions by 2050
The US military recently announced plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. These changes are due to concerns over the impact that climate change will have on national security and military operations from events such as resource-based conflicts or mass migration.
This plan will target net zero emissions along three key areas: installations, acquisition & logistics, and training. Initial upgrades will focus on energy efficiency and installing an independent microgrid for army facilities. Other areas of focus include modifying the supply chain to improve resiliency, electrifying all non tactical army vehicles by 2035, and training personnel to operate in a changing climate.
Regarding these changes, Christine Wormuth, the sitting army secretary, stated:
The time to address climate change is now. The effects of climate change have taken a toll on supply chains, damaged our infrastructure and increased risks to Army Soldiers and families due to natural disasters and extreme weather. The Army must adapt across our entire enterprise and purposefully pursue greenhouse gas mitigation strategies to reduce climate risks. If we do not take action now, across our installations, acquisition and logistics, and training, our options to mitigate these risks will become more constrained with each passing year.
LG to exit the solar industry
LG has announced that they will exit the solar photovoltaic (PV) – aka solar panel – manufacturing business by the end of June 2022. The company cited uncertainty in the global supply chain as rationale for this decision. LG will continue to manufacture energy storage products and stated that they would pivot into home energy management as well. LG released the following statement regarding their decision:
The decision comes as uncertainties in the global solar panel business continue to increase due to a variety of contributing factors, including the intensification of price competition and the rising cost of raw materials. LG will continue to stand behind its brand and the company will maintain support for customers of existing LG solar panels for a period of time after the business’s closure has been completed. Solar panel production itself will continue until the second quarter this year to maintain adequate inventory for future service support.
Importantly, LG also stated that they would reserve all new products created until the planned manufacturing stop date for servicing existing customers and would honor their warranties for existing customers.
