QCells begins operations at U.S.’s first vertically integrated solar factory
QCells North America, the U.S. subsidiary of South Korean PV module manufacturer Hanwha QCells, has begun manufacturing operations at its Cartersville, Georgia factory, the company says.
The Cartersville facility is the first of its kind in the U.S., promising full vertical integration throughout the module manufacturing process. During operations, the firm will be able to manufacture everything from wafers and ingots, to the finished panel itself, adding 3.5 GW to QCells’ American manufacturing capacity when fully operational.
“Producing the first solar cells at Cartersville is a milestone for Qcells and for American manufacturing,” says Andy Park, the firm’s global CEO. “As our ingot, wafer, and cell lines reach full capacity, we’ll be making the major components of a solar panel right here in Georgia.
“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.”
Bolstering the American supply chain
QCells’s total solar module output will hit 8.6 GW by the end of the Q3 2026, officials say, giving domestic customers an easier and cheaper path to solar products. Customers will also be able to save more value from the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit, by virtue of accessing the entire solar supply chain on domestic soil.
With the new facility’s module assembly processes fully online, the Cartersville location will be able to build 16,700 new solar panels every day. The continued investment in the location — and in the U.S. solar market as a whole — also promises to bring nearly 4,000 new jobs to northwestern Georgia.
“With cells in production, the factory will scale fast: by Q3 2026, Cartersville will make 3.3 GW each of ingots, wafers, cells, and 3.5 GW of modules a year,” the company says. “Together with the expanded Dalton factory, which tripled module capacity to 5.1 GW in late 2023, Qcells’ total module capacity in Georgia will reach 8.6 GW a year, or 47,000 panels a day, approximately the energy needed to power roughly 1.3 million U.S. homes for a year.”
Once fully integrated into the company’s manufacturing ecosystem, the Cartersville location will serve as a shield for American customers, blocking incentive and supply chain-related issues across the solar landscape. QCells says its customers will have full visibility of sourcing, pricing, and delivery timelines, helping with long-term project execution.
