Community Solar

Qcells and Summit Ridge expand community solar partnership to 2 GW

Qcells and Summit Ridge expand community solar partnership to 2 GW
A Summit Ridge Energy community solar project located in Momence, Illinois using domestically manufactured Qcells modules (courtesy: Summit Ridge Energy)

It has been a productive week for the growing domestic renewable energy supply chain in the United States, and two industry power players are adding to the chorus with some encouraging Friday news.

Commercial solar company Summit Ridge Energy is expanding its partnership with Qcells, a PV manufacturer and EPC service provider, committing to purchase an additional 800 megawatts (MW) of Qcells solar panels. The agreement builds upon an existing 1.2 GW deal announced in April of last year by Vice President Kamala Harris at Qcells’ Dalton, Georgia manufacturing facility, where most of the newly procured panels will be made. Summit Ridge and Qcells are now committed to 2 GW, which the companies are billing as “the largest domestic community solar purchase in history.”

Summit Ridge says it will use the additional panels to develop more than 100 additional community solar projects across the country.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Qcells, which enables Summit Ridge to deliver on our promise of giving more Americans the opportunity to power their homes and businesses with locally generated clean energy,” said Brian Dunn, COO of Summit Ridge Energy. “Through our Qcells partnership, we are able to support domestic manufacturing and job creation, while simultaneously bringing low-cost clean energy to communities that have historically been left out of the clean energy transition.”

“Expanding this relationship with Summit Ridge Energy means more communities will have access to the most affordable energy resource in the world,” said Justin Lee, CEO of Qcells. “This partnership not only supports the domestic manufacturing industry and thousands of jobs in solar, but it also ensures more people – especially those who have historically been left out – benefit from everything the clean energy economy has to offer.”

Qcells will be speaking at GridTECH Connect Forum June 24-26 in Newport Beach, CA. Don’t miss the interconnection event your peers will be talking about- register now and join us!

The expanded relationship between Summit Ridge and Qcells is supported by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which includes landmark tax incentives for domestic energy production and manufacturing. Summit Ridge and Qcells were the first parties to enter into domestic manufacturing agreements under the IRA, per the companies.

In addition to supporting domestically manufactured solar infrastructure and job creation, the Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act included in the IRA is playing a key role in Qcells’ plans to deliver a fully integrated domestic supply chain supporting companies like Summit Ridge during times of uncertainty caused by tariffs and global supply chain constraints. Many of Summit Ridge’s solar projects also qualify for IRA tax credits that will provide thousands of low-income households with greater access to clean energy savings.  

Qcells says it will continue to provide Summit Ridge with battery storage and software solutions under separate procurement agreements.