Hanwha Qcells begins construction on massive solar farm in Colorado

Hanwha Solutions Qcells Division’s solar farm construction site in Weld County, Colorado. / Courtesy of Hanwha Solutions

By Park Jae-hyuk

Hanwha Solutions Qcells Division has begun construction on a massive solar farm in the United States that is expected to generate 257 megawatts of solar power, the company said on Tuesday.

Last Wednesday, Hanwha Qcells held a groundbreaking ceremony with the Platte River Power Authority (PRPA), the solar farm’s customer, marking the start of full-fledged construction of the solar farm in Weld County, Colorado.

Hanwha Qcells also plans to assume engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) responsibility for the project, which aims to build a solar farm on a 5.6-square-kilometer site in Weld County, Colorado, by supplying more than 540,000 photovoltaic modules.

The solar farm will begin commercial operations gradually in 2025. Under a power purchase agreement, it will supply electricity generated from renewable sources to PRPA.

“With this project, Hanwha Qcells has seized another business opportunity by integrating our US solar and EPC businesses,” said Lee Koo-yung, CEO of Hanwha Qcells. “Hanwha Qcells will successfully complete construction and maximize profits after exploring various options, including asset sales.”

Hanwha Qcells is engaged in a number of development and EPC projects related to large-scale green energy projects in the US

In May, the company completed a project to build a power plant equipped with 50-megawatt solar modules and 200-megawatt-hour energy storage systems (ESS). The facility supplies electricity to Meta, one of the largest technology companies in the U.S.

In April, Hanwha Qcells completed construction of a 150-megawatt solar farm in Wyoming, initially providing design, EPC and module supply.

The company has also signed partnerships with various customers as demand for renewable energy and U.S.-made photovoltaic products grows

In January, Hanwha Qcells signed a partnership with Microsoft to supply 12 gigawatts of solar modules and EPC services over the next eight years. This includes a commitment for 2.5 gigawatts of modules and EPC services previously announced in January 2023.

In addition, Hanwha Qcells recently expanded its partnership with Summit Ridge Energy (SRE), a leading commercial solar company in the U.S., which was signed in April last year.

The Korean company has agreed to supply SRE with an additional 800 megawatts of solar panels, bringing the total to 2 gigawatts by 2027. The two companies have also agreed to cooperate on ESS projects.