Sustainability at CVE
We have a long-term commitment to help protect the planet and its people
CVE Group B-Corp Certified
CVE North America through our parent company CVE group received B-corp certification in 2023. The B-Corp, or Benefit Corporation, certification is an international accreditation awarded by the non-profit B Lab to businesses that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. It is recognized as the gold standard for companies striving to balance profit and purpose.
While CVE’s main goal is to produce renewable energy, we also have a long-term commitment to help protect the planet and its people. CVE ensures that all our activities respect sensitive environmental areas and provide natural habitat to local wildlife. We see ourselves as catalysts for positive change in the towns and cities where our solar installations are located. We want to be true to our values and do our part; to give back to the people who live there, by beautifying their community and preserving their environmental wealth.
Launch of the ISO14001 certification
CVE North America strives to limit the impact of its activities on the environment. Our goal is to integrate impact analysis in our quality processes which encompasses the activities of subcontractors as well as our own. Control measures and remedial actions are part of our quality-driven approach.
The ISO 14001 certification that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system is now underway. By improving our environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and waste reduction, we have become certified in 2020 and plan to maintain our certification through annual audits.
Pollinator friendly Solar
Mindful of the necessary balance between clean energy development and land conservation, CVE is willing do its part to ensure that our installations are providing improved environmental benefits to local communities and wildlife. For this reason, we commit to planting native pollinator friendly wildflowers and plants on all our solar sites to turn them into pollinator and wildlife habitats. Our goal is to combine clean energy generation with the protection of much needed biodiversity.
To establish and maintain wildlife friendly solar sites, we include a series of steps into our solar activities such as planting native wildflowers with high value for pollinators, limiting the use of pesticide and insecticide, installing cavity nesting habitat for bees and leaving a gap at the bottom of fences for wildlife passage. By working with the University of Massachusetts’ Clean Energy Extension we ensure that our management practices and seed selection are backed by robust science on pollinators.
As of the Fall 2020, we have received the Silver pollinator friendly solar certification from the Clean Energy Extension of U Mass for six of our community solar projects in Massachusetts. This certification ensures that all plants have been carefully selected by a professional botanist to ensure they support pollinators.
Benefits of pollinator friendly solar
Pollinators are animals including bees, butterflies and moths that transfer pollen from one plant to another, ensuring reproduction. They are critically important to ecosystems, as well as our food supply and agricultural economy. Over 80% of flowering plants on earth depend upon insect-mediated pollination. In fact, the survival of most plant and animal species on the planet depends upon native pollination ecosystems. Pollinator friendly solar provides numerous benefits to wildlife, solar developers, farmers, and communities.
Provide habitat for pollinators and other species
Make solar array visually pleasing with the presence of wildflowers
Reduces soil erosion and increases soil organic matter
Results in lower maintenance cost over time
Get in touch with our solar experts today