Solar giant Qcells has started making solar cells at its Cartersville, Georgia, factory, and it’s on track to become the largest solar cell factory in US history by Q3 2026.
The US has been heavily dependent on imported solar components for years, leaving developers exposed to tariff swings and supply chain disruptions. Qcells’ Cartersville is a direct bet against that.
This isn’t just another factory; it’s the only place in the country where every major piece of a solar panel – from ingot to finished module – gets made under one roof. The module assembly side is already running at full capacity, turning out 16,700 panels a day.
“Producing the first solar cells at Cartersville is a milestone for Qcells and for American manufacturing,” said Andy Park, global CEO of Qcells. “A dependable domestic supply chain doesn’t just create thousands of good-paying jobs; it gives our customers greater certainty on price, supply, and tariffs, and a product they can trust from start to finish.”
The numbers are impressive
Once everything is running at full speed, Cartersville will produce 3.3 GW each of ingots, wafers, and cells per year, plus 3.5 GW of modules. Add in the company’s expanded Dalton, Georgia, factory – which tripled its module capacity to 5.1 GW in late 2023 – and Qcells’ total Georgia module capacity will hit 8.6 GW a year. That’s about 47,000 panels a day, or enough energy to power roughly 1.3 million US homes annually.
The Cartersville plant is the first of its kind built in the US in more than a decade and will house the largest ingot and wafer plant ever built in the country.
The investment is also bringing a significant number of jobs to the region. Between the Cartersville and Dalton campuses, Qcells expects to employ nearly 4,000 people in Georgia – about 3,800 direct jobs across Bartow and Whitfield Counties.
Why this matters for US developers and customers
There are two big financial incentives tied to domestic solar manufacturing right now, and Qcells is positioned to take full advantage of both.
First, project developers using Cartersville-made modules can more confidently pursue the 10% Domestic Content Bonus under the Investment Tax Credit, since the major components are all made in the US.
Second, because Qcells makes ingots, wafers, cells, and modules domestically, it can claim the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit at each stage of production. No other US solar manufacturer can currently do that across the full value chain.
Beyond the tax credits, having a fully domestic supply chain means customers are better protected from international supply disruptions and tariff swings, which have been a real headache for the solar industry in recent years.
Read more: US Customs delays force solar giant Qcells to furlough 1,000 workers
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