Qcells to Support U.S. Solar Production through All-in-One Manufacturing Plant in Georgia

Solar manufacturer Qcells is expanding production at its Cartersville, Georgia, facility as part of its effort to build what it says will be the first fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing operation in the United States.

Qcells aims not only to produce major solar photovoltaic (PV) module components from the ingot phase to finished panel at its new facility, but also to improve domestic supply for its customers to qualify for content tax credits. Modules produced at the Cartersville facility will assist developers and owners of clean energy projects by unlocking a 10% Domestic Content Bonus credit, on top of their base credit rate of up to 30%, part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

This benefits customers who can prove that major module components of their project are domestically manufactured, leading to greater supply confidence and pricing amid trade disruptions and uncertainties in solar equipment.

The Cartersville module assembly facility is now operating at full capacity, producing about 16,700 panels per day. Once solar cell production is fully operational, Qcells states the facility will produce 3.3 GW each of raw silicon ingots, wafers and functional solar cells, delivering 3.5 GW of modules a year, maintaining an operational buffer.

Unlike traditional solar manufacturing, this vertically integrated solar supply chain consolidates all major production stages under a single roof. As the U.S. Department of Energy explains, domesticating the supply of all solar subcomponents reduces gaps in the crystalline silicon value chain.

“Producing the first solar cells at Cartersville is a milestone for Qcells and for American manufacturing,” said Global CEO Andy Park of Qcells in a statement. “A dependable domestic supply chain doesn’t just create thousands of good-paying jobs; it gives our customers greater certainty on price, supply, and tariffs, and a product they can trust from start to finish.”

The clean energy company delivers end-to-end solutions for large-scale engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services. That means Qcells handles the responsibility for all pre-stage activities before handing over the finished installation to support its customers’ intelligent energy systems.

In 2024, Qcells announced an eight-year strategic alliance with tech giant Microsoft. Under the agreement, Qcells is expected to supply 1.5 GW of solar panels a year for Microsoft projects contracted through 2032. The solar modules supplied will come from the Cartersville solar supply chain factory, part of Qcells’ $2.5 billion investment announced in 2023.