Module producer and power options firm Hanwha Qcells has landed an settlement with Canadian Premium Sand (CPS) for the business offtake of patterned photo voltaic glass to help its US PV module manufacturing.
Performed by way of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Qcells mother or father firm Hanwha Options Company, the long-term settlement will see CPS provide low-carbon patterned photo voltaic glass to Qcells’ module manufacturing unit in Georgia.
“The built-in nature of CPS’ operation with its wholly-owned sand useful resource and the usage of renewable hydro-electricity in its manufacturing course of supply wonderful alignment with our low-carbon aims,” Hanwha mentioned.
CPS will provide the glass from a sand mine to be positioned in Selkirk, Manitoba that can produce the high-purity, low-iron silica sand through the use of renewable hydropower, though considerations have additionally been raised in some quarters in regards to the environmental credentials of the location given its extraction and mining technique.
The corporate mentioned Qcells North American photo voltaic glass demand of over 3GW of module manufacturing represented greater than 80% of its deliberate Section 1 manufacturing capability.
In Might, Qcells introduced plans to almost double the entire manufacturing capability of its operational 1.7GW module manufacturing unit in Dalton, Georgia, to over 3GW, which the corporate mentioned would current roughly 35% of present North American photo voltaic module manufacturing.
“As Qcells expands its manufacturing footprint in North America, we see great worth in securing provide from a trusted associate that’s proximal to our operations,” mentioned a Hanwha spokesperson.
Final week, in the meantime, Qcells acquired a 66% stake in German power expertise enterprise Lynqtech for an undisclosed charge, with the corporate lauding the potential for synergies in house power options together with photo voltaic PV, electrical autos and different sensible applied sciences.
And earlier this yr Qcells launched a complete rebrand to mirror its pivot from being solely a PV producer to a extra holistic clear power options supplier.
