Resources

The ability to trace the provenance of products and components through the value chain, from input materials to the finished product, is necessary and important for a variety of reasons, including sustainability, environment, health, and safety (EHS), and social responsibility. From upholding corporate social responsibility principles to quality assurance and environmental performance, robust product traceability provides openness and transparency. 

The SEIA Traceability Protocol (Protocol) lays out a series of steps that a manufacturer can take to track the origin of material inputs through specified stage(s) of production, processing, and distribution, e.g., the factory location and production date of polysilicon used in a finished solar module. The Protocol aims at helping capture and making transparently available to stakeholders which companies and facilities participated in the manufacturing of renewable energy products on the market.

One of SEIA’s top priorities is to help ensure a sustainable and ethical solar supply chain. In support of this mission, SEIA is taking proactive steps to promote environmental and social responsibility within the industry.

SEIA and NREL hosted a demonstration and roundtable discussion featuring the newly launched Solar TRACE and SolarAPP+. Solar TRACE will strengthen the ability for jurisdictions and utilities to identify opportunities to improve their permitting, inspection and interconnection (PII) cycle-time, accelerating realization of shorter cycle-times with the adoption of Solar APP+.

Public policy and government action, whether at the local, state, or federal level, will be critical to tackling the climate crisis and building a clean energy future in America.