Manufacturer of monocrystalline silicon solar cells and photovoltaic modules with production in the USA, Malaysia and South Korea.
Hanwha Qcells Co., Ltd.
Seoul (KR) · Bitterfeld-Wolfen/Thalheim (DE) · Dalton, Georgia (US) · Malaysia · South KoreaNew on Amplifa
About Qcells
Qcells is a manufacturer of photovoltaic products headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. The company was founded in 1999 in Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Germany) and developed there one of the largest solar cell sites in Europe, the so-called Solar Valley. Qcells develops and produces monocrystalline silicon solar cells and solar modules; historically, polycrystalline cells as well as thin-film cells based on CIGS and CdTe were also manufactured. In addition to module production, the company plans and installs PV systems for commercial, industrial and residential applications and offers EPC services for large solar power plants. The production sites are located in the USA (Dalton, Georgia), Malaysia and South Korea; development offices remain in Thalheim near Bitterfeld-Wolfen. In 2012, the company was acquired by the South Korean Hanwha Group after insolvency and is today a subsidiary of Hanwha Solutions. In 2019, Qcells ranked among the six largest solar cell manufacturers worldwide with shipments of 7.3 gigawatts.
- Site
- Seoul
- Processes
- Manufacture of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, Manufacture of polycrystalline solar cells, Manufacture of solar modules/panels, CIGS-based thin-film solar cells (Solibro), CdTe thin-film PV manufacturing (Calyxo), Planning and installation of PV systems (commercial, industrial, residential), EPC services for large-scale solar power plants, EPC services for large solar power plants
- Materials
- Silicon (monocrystalline), Silicon (polycrystalline), Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide (CIGS), Cadmium-Telluride (CdTe), Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide, Cadmium-Telluride
- Founded
- 1999
- Employees
- over 2000 (historica
- Industries
- Photovoltaics, Solar cell manufacturing, Renewable energies
- 01
Wafer/cell manufacturing (monocrystalline silicon)
- 02
Module assembly
- 03
Sales of solar modules
- 04
Planning & installation of PV systems
- 05
EPC for large-scale solar power plants
Materials & Technologies
Silicon (monocrystalline)
Base material of the currently produced solar cells and modules.
Silicon (polycrystalline)
Cell material produced historically from 2001 in Thalheim.
Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide
Thin-film technology of the subsidiary Solibro (until 2012).
Cadmium-Telluride
Thin-film technology of the subsidiary Calyxo (from 2005).
Sites
Seoul, South Korea
KRHeadquarters
- Materials
- Silicon
Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Thalheim), Germany
DEDevelopment offices / former production
- Materials
- Silicon
Dalton, Georgia, USA
USProduction
- Materials
- Silicon
Malaysia
MYProduction
- Materials
- Silicon
South Korea
KRProduction
- Materials
- Silicon
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic cellsSemiconductor/Photovoltaic manufacturing | – | – | – | – | Silicon (monocrystalline) |
| Manufacture of polycrystalline solar cellsSemiconductor/Photovoltaic manufacturing | – | – | – | – | Silicon (polycrystalline) |
| Manufacture of solar modules/panelsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Silicon |
| CIGS-based thin-film solar cells (Solibro)Semiconductor/Photovoltaic manufacturing | – | – | – | – | Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide |
| CdTe thin-film PV manufacturing (Calyxo)Semiconductor/Photovoltaic manufacturing | – | – | – | – | Cadmium-Telluride |
| Planning and installation of PV systems (commercial, industrial, residential)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| EPC services for large-scale solar power plantsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1999
Founded in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany
- 2001
First functioning polycrystalline solar cell produced on 23 July in Thalheim
- 2005
IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on 5 October; founding of Calyxo
- 2006
Death of founder Lemoine; Fest and Grunow leave the company
- 2007
Deal with Solar Fields, IP and assets transferred to Calyxo USA
- 2008
Acquisition of 17.9% stake in Renewable Energy Corporation; Sontor merges with Sunfilm
- 2009
Sale of the REC stake; acquisition of Solibro in June
- 2010
Resignation of CEO Milner
- 2011
Insolvency filing on 3 April following market collapse
- 2012
Acquisition by the Hanwha Group in August; sale of Solibro to Hanergy
- 2014
SolarOne integrated into Qcells in December
- 2015
Production in Germany discontinued due to high costs; relocation to China, Malaysia and South Korea
- 2018
Merger of Qcells with Hanwha Advanced Materials
- 2019
Opening of the first US production site; acquisition of a solar business of Hanwha Chemicals
- 2020
Merger with Hanwha Chemical to form Hanwha Solutions
- 2022
Spin-off of the utility-scale business as Q ENERGY
- 2023
Commitment of over USD 2.5 billion for an integrated solar supply chain in the USA
- 2024
USD 1.45 billion loan commitment from the US Department of Energy; Microsoft order for 12 GW
- 2025
US Department of Commerce imposes anti-dumping duties; Qcells Malaysia receives the lowest CVD rates (14.64%, 0% AD)