South Korea's Hanwha Solutions' owned Qcells has announced an agreement to supply 2.5 GW US made solar panels, develop PV projects and also offer EPC services for select projects of tech giant Microsoft that the latter has contracted through power purchase agreements (EPC) in the US.
The companies said it is the 1st time that an energy offtaker is directly working with a solar supplier to adopt clean energy on a large scale and thus support a local solar supply chain in the country.
"As one of the world's largest purchasers of renewable energy, this work will help bring more solar energy to the grid, faster," said Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith. Microsoft aims to achieve 100% renewable energy for its electricity consumption by 2025.
Earlier this year, Qcells announced plans to build the 'largest' integrated PV production complex in North America, targeting 8.4 GW of total production capacity in the US by 2024, with in-house production of ingots, wafers, cells and modules (see Hanwha Solutions Planning 8.4 GW US Production Capacity).
As the 'only' company in the US with a 'complete' solar supply chain, Qcells said it intends to become a leading developer for solar and energy storage systems while growing its EPC and smart energy management systems portfolio to become a one-stop shop for clean energy solutions.
"We're striving to build and deliver turnkey clean energy solutions, including those made in America, and this partnership with Microsoft will help accomplish this vision," said Justin Lee, CEO of Qcells.
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