Hanwha, QCells to deepen manufacturing presence in Georgia with solar encapsulant plant

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
QCells’ existing Georgia facility. Image: QCells.

Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia (HAGA) – part of Hanwha Solutions – will increase its investment in the US state of Georgia to support the integrated supply chain plans of its PV manufacturing subsidiary QCells.

HAGA will construct a solar encapsulant film factory in Bartow County, the same county as QCells’ planned 8.4GW ingot, wafer, cell and module manufacturing facility expansion. The encapsulant – which is used to seal solar cells and ensure their lifespans –  will then be supplied to QCells for use in their module production.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The facility will represent an investment of US$147 million, on top of the US$2.5 billion that Hanwha has funneled into the QCells facilities. HAGA said that it would be the only company manufacturing solar encapsulant film in America, which seems to be further evidence of Hanwha and QCells’ commitment to a deeply integrated US supply chain.

 The manufacturing tax incentives included in the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – namely the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit and Advanced Energy Project Investment Tax Credit – have led to a string of US manufacturing announcements in the last six months. QCells’ plans represent the only fully integrated US supply chain currently under construction.

PV Tech’s head of research, Finlay Colville, published analysis last month suggesting that the IRA should prioritise the manufacturing of solar cells in the short-term if it is to establish a truly domestic and secure supply chain, rather than relying solely on investment from overseas and domestic module assembly.

“Qcells is doubling down on building a complete, domestic solar supply chain and this recent investment is critical to making that happen,” said Justin Lee, CEO of Qcells. “Working with Hanwha Advanced Materials, our customers will soon be able to confidently know that the solar they buy from us was made right here in America.”

25 April 2024
5pm BST (9am PDT)
The webinar will provide the very latest trends in PV module supply and what is important when assessing product quality and reliability. How many of the imported modules for example, from Southeast Asia and India, are based on n-type TOPCon and heterojunction now? What is important to look at when assessing these new technologies’ reliability?
21 May 2024
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 21-22 May 2024, will be our third PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2025 and beyond.
8 October 2024
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 8-9 October 2024 is our second PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The event in 2023 was a sell out success and 2024 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
26 November 2024
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2025. PV ModuleTech Europe 2024 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.

Read Next

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
April 10, 2024
Dallas, Texas USA
Solar Media Events
April 17, 2024
Lisbon, Portugal
Solar Media Events
May 1, 2024
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
May 21, 2024
Napa, USA