QCells, a solar cell manufacturer, was founded in 1999 in Germany. It was established by a group of dedicated scientists and engineers with a strong passion for renewable energy, aiming to have a positive global impact.
The company’s core mission revolved around the development and production of top-tier solar cells, contributing to the reduction of the world’s reliance on fossil fuels and the fight against climate change. During its initial years, QCells concentrated on extensive research and development efforts, with a primary focus on enhancing solar cell efficiency and performance.
The company rapidly garnered recognition for its groundbreaking innovations and exceptional quality. By 2021, QCells successfully unveiled its first commercially available solar cell, notable for its remarkable efficiency, quickly gaining popularity among solar panel manufacturers worldwide.
Over the subsequent years, QCells witnessed substantial growth and expansion. In 2004, the company inaugurated its first production facility in Germany, a strategic move that bolstered its manufacturing capacity, enabling the production of solar cells on a larger scale.
This pivotal step firmly established QCells as a leading solar cell manufacturer within the European market. In 2005, QCells made a significant leap by going public, listing its shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
This strategic decision elevated the company’s prominence and attracted new investors, facilitating continued growth and expansion. In the same year, QCells also established a subsidiary in the United States, effectively extending its presence into North America.
In 2007, another notable development occurred as QCells launched a state-of-the-art production facility in Malaysia. This expansion significantly increased production capacity while concurrently reducing production costs, enhancing the company’s competitiveness in the global solar market and fortifying its reputation.
However, in 2012, QCells faced financial challenges due to the global economic downturn and intensified competition in the solar industry. This adversity necessitated the company to declare bankruptcy, leading to the sale of its assets to the South Korean conglomerate, Hanwha Group.
Under Hanwha’s stewardship, the company was rebranded as Hanwha QCells, and production facilities in Germany and Malaysia continued to operate. Today, Hanwha QCells stands as one of the world’s foremost solar cell manufacturers, delivering top-quality solar cells employed across a diverse range of global applications.
Despite encountering various challenges along its journey, the company remains unwavering in its commitment to diminishing the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and combating climate change. This dedication is consistently supported by a focus on innovation, quality, and the development of cutting-edge technologies.
Hanwha QCells is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and their technology and innovation hub is situated in the Solar Valley of Thalheim, Germany, where they develop their ‘Engineered in Germany’ product range. They boast a dedicated team of scientists and engineers who continually enhance existing technologies at their in-house research centre while spearheading the development of innovative new products.
Hanwha QCells manufactures its products in various locations, including:
- China
- Malaysia
- South Korea
These products are distributed through their extensive global sales network, covering Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. In a significant development, they recently announced plans in 2023 for a substantial investment in a new production facility in Georgia, USA, specifically targeting the US market.
In total, QCells currently possesses an annual cell capacity of 10GW and a solar panel capacity of 12.4GW. While they may not be the largest in terms of capacity, their focus is on delivering high-quality products over quantity.
Notably, Hanwha QCells has received several prestigious awards, underscoring their commitment to excellence:
- In 2003, they received the Intersolar Award in the field of Photovoltaics.
- In 2004, they earned the Solar Industry Award for Module Manufacturing Innovation.
- Their contributions to the development of solar energy in Europe were recognised in 2006 with the European Solar Prize.
- In 2010, they were honoured with the German Sustainability Award for their dedication to sustainability and environmental protection.
- In 2011, they were named in the Global Cleantech 100, acknowledging their substantial contributions to clean technology development.
- They also received multiple Intersolar Awards in the field of Photovoltaics in 2005, 2007, 2013, and 2015.
- Their Q.ANTUM Technology was recognised with the Solar Industry Award for Module Manufacturing Innovation in 2016.
- From 2016 to 2022, they held the ‘Top Brand PV’ Seal Europe from EuPD Research for their modules.
- In 2017, they were the recipient of The Solar & Power Award for Excellence in Innovation, the Solar Power Portal Award for Product Innovation, and the PV Magazine Award for Top Innovation.
- Their Q-Peak RSF L-G4.2 earned them the Inter Solar Award in 2017.
- In 2018, the innovative Q.Peak Duo-G5 product secured the Intersolar Award.
- For two consecutive years, 2021 and 2022, they received the N-TV Award and Germany Life & Living Award, recognising them as the Most Popular Provider of Solar Technology.
Australian Office
Suite 1, Leve 1 – 15 Blue Street
North Sydney, NSW 2060
Tel : +61 (0)2 9016 3033
Email : HQC-Inquiry@qcells.com
Business hours
Mon-Fri – 6am to 7pm
Sat – 7am – 4pm
Sun – Closed
If you wish to complete their contact us form, this can be found here.
The Q.Cells Q.Home Inverter and Battery is an all-in-one residential solar energy system that includes an inverter, a battery, and a management system. The system is designed to store solar energy captured during the day for use at night and during peak demand periods, so homeowners can reduce their reliance on the grid and save money on their energy bills.
How it works is that you would start with purchasing the Q.Volt H5S inverter to the left, which weighs in at 37.5 kg. Then you purchase a batter too, these come at 6.8 kWh and weigh 61.1 kg. This inverter is capable of having an additional 2 batteries added, giving you a maximum capacity of 20.5 kWh, with a depth of discharge of 95%. These inverters are for single phase, but can be installed on 3 phase properties, but the backup would only be for appliances on a single phase, so it does have some limitations.
The inverter comes with an OUTSTANDING 15 year product and performance warranty and weighs 18.5 kg. All batteries come with a 10 year product warranty and a 10 year performance warranty and weigh 57 kg each. The equipment has been designed for improved simplicity of installation.
The battery uses Samsung SDI batteries which are Lithium-ion NCA, meaning they use lithium nickel cobalt oxides. These oxides are used as active material on the positive pole (which when discharging is the cathode). These type of batteries are used extensively within the EV market, especially Tesla.
The inverter is 5 kW, and has a maximum discharge of 5 kW at any one time. On a side note, if you want your property load to be covered completely by the battery, you cannot exceed a draw of more than 3.3 to 4.5 kW with 1 battery, and 5 kW with 2+ batteries, so don’t be putting everything on all at once.
The Q.Cells Q.Home Management System is a cloud-based platform that allows homeowners to monitor and control their solar energy system from anywhere, at any time. The system provides real-time data on energy production, consumption, and battery storage, so homeowners can optimize their energy usage and maximize their savings. The system also includes intuitive software that allows homeowners to easily configure and customize their system’s settings, more information can be found here.
As mentioned previously, you can add up to 3 batteries in parallel, with a depth of discharge being 95%, this is what you can expect your usable capacity to be.
| Battery | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 6.8 | 13.7 | 20.5 |
| Usable Capacity | 6.51 | 13.03 | 19.55 |
Pros
PRO – 15 year product and performance warranty
PRO -Australian Office
PRO – Comes with Energy Backup, this means you can set the amount of energy you always store unused so should there be a blackout, your essential loads will stay on.
Cons
CON – German Engineered Products, but not made in Germany.
CON – According to Sinovoltaics analysis of financials, QCells sit in 43rd place in the world. (source – Sinovoltaics report 2022) sitting in the grey area, not in safe zone or distress zone.
Our Thoughts
A quality product, manufactured by a massive company with a strong and long trading history.
The Australian office allows for warranty issues to be catered for, even if your installation company disappears.
They will be a good choice by anyone, that will last the test of time and allow you to use your excess energy from the day to power your home through the night, and with 15 year warranty, that’s a lot of peace of mind, that you will definitely get a massive return on investment from this battery setup.
We would definitely without a shadow of a doubt, put them on our own house or business.