Qcells begins cell production in Georgia factory, a milestone for US solar

Qcells is the U.S. arm of Hanwha's solar division in Korea. The company announced on Tuesday that it had begun'making solar cells' at its Cartersville factory, Georgia. This was a significant milestone for the United States' efforts to reduce reliance on imported 'equipment' from Asia.

The production of cells is an important step in Qcells' quest to produce all key components for a silicon-based panel. Solar cells are the basic building blocks for modules or panels that convert sunlight to electricity.

Solar Energy Industries Association reports that the United States has 3.2 gigawatts in solar cell capacity and 60?GW in panel capacity. The Solar Energy Industries Association reports that the majority of solar cells used to supply domestic module factories today are imported.

Imports have been disrupted by trade tensions and restrictions targeting Chinese suppliers, which has increased the urgency to?build domestic capacity.

The Qcells plant would almost double the current U.S. cell production capacity.

In an interview, Scott Moskowitz said that cell production was the main thing the United States has been working to bring back.

Qcells stated that the Cartersville facility would have an annual capacity of each 3.3 GW of ingots wafers cells and 3.5 gigawatts for modules. When it reaches full capacity in the third quarter this year, the site will 'become the largest solar cell factory ever built in the United States.

The U.S. has lagged behind China in solar component manufacturing for many years. Washington has tried to boost domestic production by implementing trade measures and subsidies, such as tax credits tied to locally produced?equipment.

Qcells, one of the biggest beneficiaries of this policy, announced in 2023 that it would invest $2.5 billion in its U.S. Supply Chain. (Reporting and editing by Tomasz Jánowski)

(source: Reuters)