The U.S.A Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a conditional commitment to provide a loan guarantee of up to $1.45 billion to Qcells. This funding will support the expansion of Qcells' solar plant operations in Georgia where the company will produce solar ingots, wafers, cells and panels.
U.S.A to Build Largest Solar Manufacturing Facility
The new facility will be the largest ingot and wafer plant ever established in the United States, marking a significant step in rebuilding key segments of the domestic solar supply chain. It will also be the first fully integrated silicon-based solar manufacturing plant in the U.S.A in over ten years, addressing critical gaps in the solar manufacturing sector and strengthening the country’s position as a global leader in clean energy.
Solar panel manufacturing facility
Once operational, the facility is projected to produce 3.3 GW of solar panels annually, sufficient to supply half a million U.S.A households. Qcells’ existing factory opened in 2019 in Dalton, Georgia—just an hour north of the new site—produces 5.1 GW of panels per year after a recent expansion. The expertise gained from operating the Dalton plant will be leveraged for this new project.
Energy Project to Create 6,800 Jobs and $2 Billion Sales Output
The solar plant is anticipated to generate 1,200 construction jobs and once completed, 1,950 full-time operational positions. Around 40% to 50% of the construction work has been allocated to local contractors including those from Atlanta, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee. An economic review by the Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development estimates that the investment will create nearly 6,800 jobs in Bartow and Whitfield Counties and could yield a sales output exceeding $2 billion.
Qcells to Build Solar Panels for Utility and Residential Use
The panels manufactured at the site will be suitable for both distributed and utility-scale applications. Qcells is also a major developer of utility-scale solar and storage projects in the U.S. with over 2 GW of projects either developed or constructed and a pipeline exceeding 10 GW. The company has signed an 8-year, 12 GW solar and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreement with Microsoft which will be supplied with panels produced in Cartersville.
Components produced by the project are anticipated to qualify for the 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit. Additionally, Qcells’ products manufactured at the site are expected to help the project qualify for the domestic content 10% tax credit bonus.
“Since IRA’s passage, over 325 GW of manufacturing capacity has been announced across the solar supply chain, representing more than 31,000 potential jobs and nearly $16 billion in announced investments across 111 new facilities or expansions,” The DOE said.