Skip to main content

LG announces plans to triple solar panel production by 2020

san francisco buildings solar panels green house sustainability efficiency
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It may have taken centuries, but it looks as though the world is finally embracing the notion of alternative energy sources in earnest. Following the groundbreaking Paris Climate Change Conference, renewable energy is seeing renewed efforts, and now, South Korea-based LG Electronics has promised to triple its solar panel production over the next four years. In a press release, the company announced a new $435 million investment in solar cell manufacturing facilities, and LG notes that “the addition of six production lines to the current eight will increase capacity from 1GW to 1.8GW by 2018 and 3GW — equivalent to the electrical power consumed by 1 million households — by 2020.”

The firm’s solar business, which was first launched over two decades ago in 1995, has expanded significantly since its early days as demand for solar energy has grown. And now, in order to fulfill the burgeoning need for fossil fuel alternatives, LG seems prepared to go the distance.

As a result of this investment, LG’s solar power business will be in a much stronger position to be a dynamic engine for growth moving forward,” said Sang-Bong Lee, LG president and head of its Energy Business Center and B2B Office. “LG has been actively involved in the solar energy business for two decades and we believe that mainstream consumers are more than ready to give solar more serious consideration.”

LG is far from the only company looking to divest from nonrenewable sources. Back in October, Apple launched two programs that the company promised would “avoid over 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution in the country between [2015] and 2020,” and late last year, Google announced plans to power 100 percent of operations with renewable energy by 2025. Indeed, tech companies across the board have committed to reducing their carbon footprint by way of various strategies, and LG’s influx of new solar panels will certainly aid in the cause.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
LG rolls out 2020 lineup of 8K and 4K NanoCell TVs
LG NanoCell 8K TV

The good news is that LG just revealed pricing and availability for its 2020 lineup of NanoCell TVs, and you can pick up the biggest model right now. The bad news is it won’t be cheap.

LG announced details on 12 new models, including an 86-inch class Nano90 4K TV (a CES 2020 Innovation Award winner) and a Nano99 8K series that features both 75-inch and 65-inch models. The 86-inch display is available immediately, with the 8K screens set for May and June of this year.

Read more
Semitransparent solar cells could power tomorrow’s self-sustaining greenhouses
Solar cells on top of greenhouses.

Most people understand the broad principles of a greenhouse: A greenhouse is a building with a glass roof and walls, used to grow plants like tomatoes and tropical flowers. The greenhouse stays warm inside, even during night and the winter. That’s because the glass walls of the greenhouse trap the sun’s heat inside. So far, so great.

But what if greenhouses could be used not just to help plants grow, but also to capture light at wavelengths that plants don’t use -- all thanks to some smart semitransparent solar panels built into the greenhouse walls themselves. Among other uses, these could help to make large commercial greenhouses entirely self-sufficient.

Read more
The coolest things LG showed off at CES 2020: Roll-up TVs, smart doors, and A.I.
lg rollable oled tv ces 2020 aircraft

LG's roll-down OLED, new 8K TVs, Gallery Series OLED, and mini-LED | CES 2020

This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.
CES is the biggest tech show of the year -- and a big deal for most of the marquee manufacturers and, as you'd expect, this year was no different.

Read more