Qcells and Microsoft have announced an expansion of their solar panel supply partnership, a move aligned with their collective aim to diversify the global solar module supply chain and promote sustainable manufacturing in the sector. This was revealed in a press release dated January 2023. The expanded agreement is projected to generate enough energy to power approximately 1.8 million homes annually throughout the duration of the deal.
Qcells CEO Justin Lee, in a statement last January, highlighted the company’s commitment to developing clean energy solutions. “Our partnership with Microsoft is a significant step in our endeavor to deliver turnkey clean energy solutions, including those manufactured in the United States,” said Lee.
Microsoft, on its part, is focused on achieving a carbon-negative status by 2030 and plans to cover its entire electricity consumption with renewable energy by 2025. Bobby Hollis, vice president of energy at Microsoft, remarked, “Our expanded agreement with Qcells is pivotal in driving large-scale domestic production of solar modules. This is crucial for a resilient U.S. supply chain and a clean energy economy. Such long-term agreements signal Microsoft’s demand and contribute to bringing more renewable energy to the grid more quickly.”
Qcells, a subsidiary of the Hanwha manufacturing conglomerate, is actively expanding its solar supply chain in the United States. In the previous year, the company announced an investment exceeding $2.5 billion for constructing a new plant in Cartersville and for enlarging its existing facility in Dalton, Georgia. In October, Qcells inaugurated its expanded solar module factory in Dalton, which augmented the plant’s solar capacity by two gigawatts.
Additionally, in March, Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia, a supplier to Qcells, disclosed plans to establish a $147 million manufacturing facility in Cartersville. This new factory is set to produce film materials for Qcells, essential for binding solar cells.
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