TSEP#190 Renewable Growth vs. Sustainability: Can We Balance the Footprint?

The world needs massive amounts of renewables to meet our climate
goals and become net zero. But at what cost really? Did we look
at how sustainability itself is thought of while implementing
renewables and it's necessary infrastructure? With massive growth
rates in PV, wind power and storage, it's quite obvious that
renewables come with a sizable footprint themselves in terms of
energy or exploration needed for production or biodiversity loss
during implementation. So how can we integrate circularity in
production processes? How do you get engineers on board to invest
in to more sustainable designs and what other aspects need to be
addressed? We talk about this and more with Katharina Eickelberg,
Senior Vice President, Global Communication and Sustainability at
SMA Solar Technology.


 


Timeline




02:11 In an industry that sees massive growth rates, how
important is it to already keep in mind the footprint of your
products?




03:22 Which are the main drivers to develop a sustainability
strategy?




06:06 Which areas in the production were generally in the
business at SMA are the most relevant for sustainability?




18:20 Which specific human rights issues we're talking about
when it comes to inverters, is it conditions in manufacturing
companies like working hours or gender payment gaps, stuff
like that?




22:04 So as a company, what do you need in order to really be
able to have a level playing field and to really implement
that notion? Do we already have enough legislation in Europe
which you need?




 


About Katharina Eickelberg & SMA Solar


Katharina Eickelberg is the Senior Vice President Global
Communication & Sustainability at SMA Solar Technology AG, a
leading global specialist in photovoltaic system technology. She
is responsible for Communication, Brand, Public Affairs and
Sustainability. Additionally, Katharina is a director on the
board of Solar Power Europe. Before joining SMA, Katharina held
different positions in the energy sector, most recently as Head
of Business Communication at Swedish utility Vattenfall and
member of the supervisory board of GASAG AG. Besides driving
communication and sustainability at SMA, she concentrates on
topics such as Leadership and Diversity & Inclusion.
Katharina lives in Hannover with her two sons.


SMA Solar Technology AG, headquartered in Niestetal, North Hesse,
is one of the world's top-selling and Germany's best-known
manufacturers of inverters for photovoltaic systems with grid
feed-in and off-grid feed-in.


https://www.sma.de/


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podcast@thesmartere.com