Announcing a significant advancement in the renewable energy sector, Qcells, a frontrunner in the solar industry, has entered into an ambitious partnership with tech titan Microsoft. This monumental deal sees Qcells provisioning Microsoft with an impressive 12 gigawatts of solar power capacity over the course of eight years.
The Largest Deal in Qcells History
Breaking new ground, this transaction marks the biggest deal ever clinched by Qcells. The size of this agreement is monumental, poised to generate an amount of solar energy that could sustain over 1.8 million households every year. This includes not only the provision of solar panels but also a comprehensive blend of engineering, procurement, and construction services. The partnership has evolved significantly, rising from an initial contract of 2.5 GW in January 2023.
Echoing Commitment to Clean Energy
Bobby Hollis, the Vice President of Energy at Microsoft, has emphasized the core objective of this expanded agreement. He highlights the pivotal contribution it will make towards bolstering a robust and reliable US-based supply chain for solar modules. This, in turn, is expected to fuel the progress towards a sustainable clean energy economy.
Microsoft has charted a path to achieve 100% clean electricity by the year 2025. The formation of this secure, domestic supply chain is considered an essential step in realizing that objective with greater efficiency.
Qcells’ Investment in US Solar Manufacturing
Earlier in January 2023, Qcells, headquartered in Seoul, put forth their plans to inject over $2.5 billion into developing a comprehensive solar supply chain within Georgia. Recognized as the most considerable clean energy manufacturing investment in the United States to date, the move was inspired by the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act.
The expansion strategy included amplifying the capacity of its then-recently completed Dalton solar factory. Additionally, plans were unveiled for a brand new factory in Cartersville to handle the end-to-end solar module manufacturing process—from silicon ingots and wafers to solar cells and the final assembly of panels.
With expectations set to ramp up the solar panel production capacity in Georgia to 8.4 GW within the same year, Qcells is pioneering the establishment of the first fully integrated silicon-based solar supply chain in the United States, charting a course from raw materials to finished solar panel products.
