Hanwha Solutions announced a $320 million investment plan for solar manufacturing expansion in the United States and Korea with the aim of providing secure, cleaner energy amid mounting calls for energy security and net-zero emissions. Hanwha said it will seek to spend $170 million building a 1.4-gigawatt solar module production facility in the US. Qcells already operates a 1.7 gigawatt module factory in Dalton, Georgia.

With the newly-built factory expected to come online as early as the first half of 2023, Qcells' total production capacity in the U.S. will exceed 3 gigawatt – equivalent to one-third of current US solar module production capacity. The company also announced its plan to expand cell production capacity in Korea. By investing $150 million, the company will expand its cell factory in there.

When the factory expansions are complete next year, overall cell capacity in Korea will be 5.4-gigawatts. It is the first investment in Korean solar cell manufacturing in five years.