Some UK solar panels likely made by Uighur slave labour in China - The Times
Some UK solar panels likely made by Uighur slave labour in China
UK NEWS
Solar Energy UK, the trade body, admitted that companies would need to audit their supply chains more thoroughly
EDGAR SU/REUTERS
The UK is at risk of becoming a “dumping ground” for solar panels “tainted” by forced labour, a coalition of workers’ rights groups has warned.
Nearly half of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon, a key component in most panels, is produced in the Xinjiang region of China where more than 2.6 million people, mostly of the Uighur ethnic group, have been subjected to forced labour in detention camps.
The trade body for the solar industry in the UK admitted that it cannot rule out panels containing minerals from the region being sold in this country and has developed a code of practice that would require companies to audit their supply chains more thoroughly.
However, critics claimed that this would remain voluntary and failed to directly tackle
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: solar
Declining costs and government encouragement have resulted in a rapid increase in solar energy production in the United States over the past 10 years, although solar’s share remains small: 1.6 percent of all electricity generation in 2018. That rapid growth is projected to continue.