Issues

Every emerging industry can benefit from productive relationships with key stakeholders, especially government and industry. Fostering those relationships, however, is often a challenge amid today’s complex web of influencers.

Raising our collective voice

SEMI actively seeks opportunities to improve the global business environment for PV wherever they present themselves. Through advisory committees, affiliated organizations, and an extensive network of executive and governmental relationships, we stay abreast of community, country, regional, and global issues—and coordinate the PV industry’s vast resources to address those issues.

Environmental, Health, and Safety

We identify industry needs, share information, and create tools to help the industry attain EHS, regulatory and sustainable development objectives. Over 90 members have joined the EHS Committee to share best practices and information.

Why EHS is Important for the PV Industry

The PV industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past five years, placing enormous pressures on EHS needs and practices in the industry. Operating in dozens of countries, hundreds of new production facilities have recently come on line and thousands of new workers are interfacing with complex and potentially dangerous production processes. One of the challenges to ensuring that effective hazard controls are in place at PV manufacturing facilities, wherever they may be located, is to develop an effective means for sharing EHS knowledge on an industry-wide scale.

For more information about our EHS efforts, please contact Sanjay Baliga (Senior Project Manager, EHS, San Jose) at sbaliga@semi.org

Public Policy & Advocacy

In legislative initiatives, we work directly with governmental and regulatory authorities, as well as other organizations and coalitions, to promote member interests in tax, tariff, export control, education, and competitiveness. In trade, we build on SEMI’s considerable track record in influencing world trade agreements that have fostered semiconductor and display industry growth.

If you have any questions regarding solar PV policy, please contact Jamie Girard, Senior Director, Public Policy at 202-289-0440 or jgirard@semi.org.

SEMI PV Group support of free and open trade can be characterized by the following principles:

As a global industry trade organization, the ultimate objective of the SEMI is the long term growth and profitability of our members who are the premier global companies in the solar PV supply chain. SEMI advocates for meaningful and effective public policies that support the growth of the global solar industry.
The overwhelming responsibility for the PV manufacturing supply chain is to deliver the lowest cost per kWh to the user.
SEMI advocates for solar policies that are transparent and streamlined. Policies should be clearly defined, simple to understand and focused on solar power adoption goals.
As a trade organization with suppliers in every major manufacturing region of the world, SEMI supports government policies that support manufacturing operations.