[Seoul, South Korea, July 28, 2021] Qcells has donated solar modules to La Guajira, Colombia, a region that was hit by hurricanes in late 2020. A total of 310 kW of solar modules from Qcells will arrive at the port of Cartagena in August to help to restore the power infrastructure and also revitalize education locally. With on-the-ground assistance from the Institute for Planning and Promotion of Energy Solutions for Non-Interconnected Zones (IPSE) under the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia, the module shipment will be delivered to educational facilities attended by about 5,600 students.
In Colombia, swathes of electricity, telecommunications and water infrastructure were all damaged by Eta and Iota, two hurricanes that hit Central and South America in November 2020. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 14,470 households and 68,883 people were affected by the hurricane in La Guajira, the region to which Qcells has donated its high-quality solar modules.
This module donation to Colombia is the latest act of social goodwill by Qcells. The company has regularly sought to create social good by utilizing the characteristics of solar technology. For example, Qcells donated photovoltaic systems to schools in North-east Japan back in 2011, where the power grid was destroyed by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
In 2019, Qcells donated solar modules to the ‘Clean Up Mekong’ campaign conducted by Hanwha Group. The campaign provided two solar-powered waste-collecting boats to Vinh Long, Vietnam, to help remove floating waste from the river in an environmentally-friendly manner. This campaign, which creatively approached environmental issues with eco-friendly energy, won a Gold Award at the New York Festival, one of the world's three largest advertising festivals.
In Korea, Qcells also cooperates with Hanwha Group on the ‘Happy Sunshine’ campaign, which provides social welfare facilities with free installation and operation of photovoltaic systems. Since 2011, Hanwha Group have donated 2,187 kW of photovoltaic systems to 320 social welfare facilities nationwide, which is equivalent to the annual electricity demand of about 720 households.
Furthermore, Qcells has continuously participated in the 'Hanwha Solar Forest' campaign, in which Hanwha Group creates eco-friendly forests with seedlings grown using solar power to respond to desertification and fine dust issues. Through the campaign, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, Hanwha Group created seven forests in Korea, China and Mongolia, and has so far planted approximately 500,000 trees.
This campaign was introduced as the world’s first corporate campaign utilizing solar energy to prevent desertification at the 2011 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) event. In 2018, the campaign was featured as a major partnership for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development held at UN headquarters.
Charles (Hee Cheul) Kim, CEO of Qcells, said: “Solar energy is one of the most effective and eco-friendly ways to solve various social and environmental problems that humanity is facing. We will continuously provide innovative clean energy solutions to create a sustainable future, taking the lead in ESG management and social value creation.”
Notably, Qcells is the only solar manufacturer that conducts Cyclone Testing at James Cook University (JCU)’s Cyclone Testing Station in Queensland, Australia, and shares the test reports upon request. JCU’s Cyclone testing is important in order to ensure that modules will withstand high wind-loads – even those delivered by destructive storms like Cyclone Larry in 2011. Larry raced over Queensland, Australia producing wind speeds of 240 km/h. Even higher wind speeds were produced by Cyclone Yasi, which crossed Mission Beach in Australia with up to 290 km/h. The solar modules that have been donated to Colombia have therefore been tested to withstand up to 7,310 Pa wind-load in non-cyclonic regions according the latest test results confirmed by JCU.
About Qcells
Qcells is one of the world’s largest and most recognized photovoltaic manufacturers for its high-performance, high-quality solar cells and modules. It is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ) with its diverse international manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Malaysia, China, and South Korea. Qcells offers the full spectrum of photovoltaic products, applications and solutions, from cells and modules to kits to systems to large-scale solar power plants. Through its growing global business network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East, Qcells provides excellent services and long-term partnerships to its customers in the utility, commercial, governmental and residential markets. For more information, visit: www.q-cells.com.
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