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April 6 (UPI) -- Vice President Kamala Harris visited Dalton, Ga., Thursday to announce a $2.5 billion solar panel factory expansion between Summit Ridge Energy and Qcells. Summit Ridge Energy, the largest U.S. commercial solar company, said Thursday that it signed a deal with South Korea's Qcells for 1.2 gigawatts of solar panels to develop more than 350 solar projects over the next four years.
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Harris visited Qcells Dalton factory Thursday as part of the White House's "Invest In America" tour.
"I am proud to be in Dalton today to announce the largest community solar order in American history -- made possible by the investments our administration has made to expand American manufacturing and increase demand for clean energy," Harris said in a statement. "When we invest in climate, clean energy, and manufacturing, we invest in America. President Biden and I will continue to fight to create opportunity in every community."
The $2.5 billion expansion investment is expected to create 2,500 additional jobs as Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., credited the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act for continuing to assist economic development.
"The Inflation Reduction Act is continuing to create good-paying green jobs and support a sustainable energy supply in Georgia and across the country," Warnock said in a statement. "We need to meet 21st-century challenges with 21st-century ingenuity, and this latest community solar partnership will help do just that. I'll continue to prioritize federal investments like these to keep Georgia's economy growing strong."
According to the companies, the SRE/Qcells deal will generate enough electricity to power an estimated 140,000 homes and businesses.
A majority of the panels bought by SRE will be produced in Qcells' U.S. manufacturing facilities.
"We must continue to find ways to bring affordable electricity to everyday Americans, particularly communities that have historically relied on fossil fuels. The IRA has provided important incentives to drive clean energy adoption and meet climate targets, and now the industry needs partnerships like the one between Qcells and SRE to put policy into practice," SRE CEO Steve Raeder said in a statement.
The Inflation Reduction Act incentivized this investment in solar panels through landmark tax incentives for domestic energy production and manufacturing.
The Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act included in the IRA is helping Qcells to build a fully integrated domestic supply chain for customers to rely on, according to the companies.
