Utility company E.ON has joined the board of US trade association Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
E.ON Climate & Renewables, the division of E.ON responsible for the company’s activities in large-scale renewable energy, currently has 9GW of capacity installed worldwide in a range of renewable technologies including onshore and offshore wind, large hydro and concentrating solar power (CSP) as well as PV.
But E.ON is not listed on the European Photovoltaic Industries Association (EPIA) website, the European equivalent trade association to the SEIA.
E.ON North America’s chairman Steve Trenholm said: “E.ON is expanding its share of renewable energy projects in our company’s global power generation portfolio. In joining SEIA’s board, we’re underscoring our commitment to increasing the deployment of solar energy in the US and around the world. E.ON Climate & Renewables North America Solar, LLC views SEIA as a vital partner in our effort to expand clean power generation.”
The day before E.ON’s appointment to SEIA, it was announced that American Honda, the US division of Japanese carmaker Honda, has also joined SEIA. The company recently endowed a US$65 million fund in conjunction with SolarCity to make solar leasing available to Honda and Honda subsidiary Acura’s customers.
The news comes after Honda in Japan recently announced that it would build a 10MW capacity solar power plant alongside a high-speed testing facility in Sakura, Japan. US non-profit advocacy group the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has ranked Honda at the top for overall vehicle environmental performance since 2000.
Over 1,000 companies make up the membership of SEIA, out of a total of around 5,600 companies working in the solar power sector. Operating in 30 countries and headquartered in Germany, E.ON Group operates globally, although most of the company’s activities are based in Europe.
