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    Microsoft Signs 8-Year Agreement for 12 GW of Solar Modules and EPC Services with Qcells to Reach Carbon-Negative Goal by 2030

    Jan. 9, 2024
    The two companies will also collaborate to bring an estimated 1.5 GW of solar panels a year to projects Microsoft has contracted through 2032
    Qcells North America
    659d5d38f037ae001efd59b5 Qcells North America

    To help solidify Microsoft as one of the world’s largest purchasers of renewable energy, the company announced an eight-year strategic alliance with Qcells, a complete clean energy solutions provider.

    Under this alliance, which marks the largest module and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services agreement for Qcells to date, the company will supply Microsoft with 12 GW of solar modules and EPC services over an eight-year period – the equivalent of powering more than 1.8 million homes annually.

    The two companies will also collaborate to bring an estimated 1.5 GW of solar panels a year to projects Microsoft has contracted through 2032. The solar modules will be supplied by Qcells’ fully integrated solar supply chain factory in Cartersville, Georgia, which is part of Qcells’ $2.5 billion investment announced last year.

    This agreement also helps support Qcells’ goal of building a stronger and more secure US solar supply chain while producing sustainably made solar modules and Microsoft’s goal of continuing to invest in purchasing renewable energy and other efforts to meet its carbon-negative, water-positive, and zero waste goals by 2030.

    “Our expanded agreement with Qcells is designed to drive large-scale domestic production of solar modules essential to advancing a resilient US supply chain and clean energy economy,” said Bobby Hollis, Vice President of Energy at Microsoft. “Through long-term agreements like this, we are signaling Microsoft’s demand and bringing more renewable energy to the grid faster.”

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.