South Korean solar firm Qcells announced plans on January 11 to allocate over $2.5 billion for its US solar power manufacturing value chain in Georgia through 2025, as per Electrek.
Remarkably, the said project is set to mark US’ most significant investment in sustainable energy production in its history.
Project objective
Hanwha Solutions Corp’s subsidiary Qcells aims to expand its solar cell manufacturing facility in Dalton, Georgia. Moreover, it will also develop its newest factory in Cartersville, Georgia.
These projects are expected to develop the first complete solar supply chain in US history.
Qcells will start the construction of its new plant in Bartow County, Georgia, in Q1 2023. The plant is expected to produce 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels.
Furthermore, it will also expand its Dalton, Georgia factory with an additional 2 GW of solar panels. Remarkably, this facility is acknowledged as the Western Hemisphere’s biggest solar panel production factory.
This expansion will generate additional 510 job opportunities in Dalton, raising its employee count in Georgia to 4,000.
Qcell’s footprint in the US
As per the report, Qcell is the first and only manufacturer to “establish a fully integrated, silicon-based solar supply chain from raw material to finished panel.”
In retrospect, Qcells launched its first Georgia factory in 2019. It generated 750 job opportunities for the 1.7 GW solar production. Moreover, the manufacturer declared plans in 2021 to expand its output with an additional 1.4 GW and employ another 535 people.
Notably, Qcells aims to see these investments generate its solar panel production capacity from 1.7 GW to 8.4 GW by 2024.
Government support
The Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act was signed into law in August 2021. By granting tax incentives to US manufacturers at each phase of the solar manufacturing supply chain, the law is expected to encourage domestic manufacturing of such technology.
“We’ve worked closely with Senator Ossoff to get his solar manufacturing legislation signed into law, which helped make today’s historic investment possible. We look forward to continuing our close partnership with Senator Ossoff to create fully American-made and sustainable solar solutions, starting here in Georgia.”
Qcells CEO Justin Lee
Notably, Qcells’ substantial investment is also anticipated to adequately meet the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax credits and other government assistance to the renewable energy sector.
Indeed, the project will boost the US economy as the country would not need to import any solar components.
