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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has finalized a $1.45 billion loan guarantee to Hanwha Q Cells Georgia, Inc., a leading North American crystalline silicon solar manufacturer, to support the construction of a new solar supply chain facility in Cartersville, Georgia. The investment marks a significant step in reshoring parts of the domestic solar supply chain and establishing the largest ingot and wafer plant ever built in the U.S.
The new facility will produce ingots, wafers, cells, and finished solar panels, making it the first fully integrated silicon-based solar manufacturing plant built in the country in over a decade. Once operational, it will generate 3.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels annually, enough to power half a million American households and reduce carbon emissions by more than 5 million tons of CO2e per year.
The project is expected to create approximately 1,200 construction jobs and around 1,650 full-time operational jobs in Cartersville, Georgia, with indirect job creation expected to impact nearly 6,800 jobs in Georgia’s Bartow and Whitfield counties. The total sales output from the facility could exceed $2 billion, offering significant economic benefits to the local region.
The Cartersville plant will be the first vertically integrated solar facility in the U.S. to produce all stages of the solar supply chain—from ingots and wafers to cells and panels—in over a decade. This move is part of a broader effort to build a resilient domestic supply chain for solar components, which are largely produced in China and Southeast Asia, thereby reducing dependence on foreign imports.
The loan guarantee is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, which seeks to create good-paying jobs and foster economic growth. The project is also expected to benefit from tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit and the domestic content bonus for clean electricity production and investment tax credits.
The facility will not only bolster the U.S. solar industry but also support Qcells’ continued growth as a major player in both solar panel manufacturing and utility-scale solar project development. Qcells USA has already developed or constructed over 2 GW of solar and storage projects and has a pipeline exceeding 10 GW.
Qcells’ Cartersville facility will serve both distributed and utility-scale projects, with the company also entering into a significant 8-year, 12 GW solar agreement with Microsoft, with panels produced at this plant.
Additionally, the DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) has highlighted the project’s commitment to creating quality jobs and supporting local communities, especially those facing economic and social challenges. The project will offer job training and apprenticeships to residents of Cartersville, especially those with barriers to employment, further contributing to the community’s development.
The DOE has received more than $324 billion in loan and loan guarantee applications for clean energy and supply chain projects across the U.S., underscoring the growing demand for investment in clean energy infrastructure and innovation. For more information on Qcells and the project, visit the DOE’s Loan Programs Office website. |
