- Qcells and Microsoft Corp. plan to develop 2.5GW solar projects.
- Microsoft emphasized that it aims to be carbon negative by 2030.
The Korean-based company, Qcells will be working with Microsoft to develop solar projects and provide panels and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services to selected solar projects that Microsoft has contracted for through power purchase agreements.
The capacity covered under the announcement is expected to total around 2.5 GW.
The companies stated that their agreement stems from their “collective commitments” to diversify the global energy supply chain and develop more reliable energy supply chains in the U.S. and abroad.
Microsoft Corp. emphasized that it aims to be carbon negative by 2030.
In early January, Qcells said it planned to invest more than $2.5 billion to build what it said would be a complete silicon-based solar supply chain in the United States.
Qcells said it plans to break ground in Georgia during the first quarter on a facility to manufacture 3.3 GW of solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels. The company also plans to assemble 2GW solar panels at its Dalton, Georgia, facility. The investment is expected to bring Qcells’ total solar panel production capacity in Georgia to 8.4 GW by 2024.
A report released last fall states that commercial solar accounted for 14% of all installed solar capacity in the United States. The Solar Means Business 2022 report named Meta, Amazon, Apple, Walmart and Microsoft as the top five corporate solar users in America.
Meta increased its installed solar capacity from 177 MW in early 2019 to 3.6 GW, remaining the top onsite corporate solar user. And Microsoft joined the top 10 by installing 479 MW of new capacity since 2019.