Hanwha Q CELLS In Germany Reduces Carbon Footprint For French Market

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Hanwha Q CELLS’ German subsidiary announced this month that it has reached a new carbon footprint low that will allow it access into the competitive French solar tenders which are more and more requiring low carbon footprints for winning solar modules.

France’s solar market is one of the somewhat undersung success stories, considering that it grew by 45% in 2017, installed 875 megawatts (MW), and pushed the country’s cumulative solar PV capacity over 8 gigawatts (GW). Further, at the end of 2017, the country had 2.87 GW worth of capacity awaiting grid connection and another 931 MW already with grid approval.

A particular quirk of the French solar market, however, is that the company restricts access to particular solar tenders based on the carbon footprint of the modules to be used for the projects.

Announced last week, Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH, the German subsidiary of the world’s leading solar cell manufacturer (as compared to leading solar module supplier) Hanwha Q CELLS, revealed that it has reached a new carbon footprint of 250 kg-eq/C0²/kWc with its high-efficiency Q.PEAK DUO module series.

The company’s Q.PEAK DUO module series combines half-cut cell technology, six bus-bars, and the Company’s proprietary Q.ANTUM (PERC) monocrystalline cell technology, and provides efficiencies of close to 20% and power output up to 330 Wp from 120 half-cut cells and up to 395 Wp from 144 half-cut cells.

The move gives Hanwha Q CELLS a leg-up in the French solar market and strengthens the company’s market position, according to the company’s Head of EU Sales, Maengyoon Kim, who added, “Producing low carbon solar modules is vital for Hanwha Q CELLS, not only in terms of our own carbon footprint and environmental goals, but also in markets such as France, which should be applauded for its approach to low carbon public tenders.”

“Hanwha Q CELLS has always been keenly aware of the importance of selling eco-friendly products,” added Stephan Maurel and Laurent Bodin, Head of Sales, France. “We are pleased that our portfolio is ideally aligned to meet the clean energy needs of an important market such as France.”