LM Wind Power, a manufacturer of wind turbine blades, has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2018, making it one of the first in the wind industry to take such a step. It will begin by sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable energy sources during 2017. LM Wind Power has produced more than 185,000 blades since the company began blade operations in 1978. This corresponds to approximately 77 GW of installed wind power capacity which each year effectively replaces approximately 147 million tons of CO2. ‘When we signed the UN Global Compact in 2010, we argued that LM Wind Power might be the greenest company in the world with more than 20% of all turbines worldwide flying LM blades,’ said CEO, Marc de Jong. ‘But we also asked some tough questions - are we really green enough? It's a paradox that the industry has not addressed this more coherently before. Could we not reduce our own carbon footprint further and do even more to nurture the growth of wind energy globally?’
The three main components of LM Wind Power's carbon neutral program, entitled 'CleanLM' are:
- Reductions in the company's carbon emissions through operational efficiencies, for example, an internal drive to reduce energy consumption and waste.
- Using 100% renewable electricity, particularly from wind, in conjunction with partners and customers and effective from 2017.
- Offsetting remaining emissions through carbon credits and building low carbon sustainable development through the delivery of clean and renewable energy for communities in developing countries.
This story is reprinted from material from LM Wind Power, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.