The US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) has announced a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up over $1bn to support Qcells’ solar supply chain manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Georgia.
Upon finalisation, the LPO, a public financing partner for high-impact, large-scale energy infrastructure projects in the US, would support Seoul-headquartered Qcells as it pursues the construction of a facility that will manufacture the full solar supply chain.
The manufacturer’s facility in Cartersville will manufacture ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels at a multi-gigawatt scale.
As well as the up to $1.45bn in DoE funding, Qcells said it is investing more than $2.5bn to boost domestic solar manufacturing and innovation to support and accelerate the US clean energy transition. Its total domestic manufacturing investment is $2.8bn.
“Qcells’ highly anticipated, integrated supply chain facility in Cartersville, Georgia, has made significant progress,” said the company.
It added: “By the end of this year, Qcells will produce the full solar supply chain, from ingot to finished panel, all under one roof in Georgia.
“We have made such ambitious investments because we believe onshoring solar manufacturing is key to building a sustainable, secure and independent energy future in the US.
“The ongoing support for our investments, stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act and the efforts of local to federal officials, affirms the importance of this critical industry and the need for a whole of government approach to see domestic solar manufacturing succeed long term.”
Between Qcells’ factory in Dalton and progress in Cartersville (pictured), the company’s full annual solar production capacity in Georgia is anticipated to reach 8.4GW by the end of this year, which is enough solar to power nearly 1.3 million homes a year.
According to a Chmura JobsEQ fourth quarter 2023 report, provided by the Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development, Qcells has created 3800 direct jobs and nearly 7000 jobs total (direct, indirect, and induced jobs) in Bartow and Whitfield counties.