FAQ

Photovoltaics (PV) is a method of direct conversion of sunlight into electricity.

The heart of a PV system is the solar cell. The incident sunlight, i.e. electromagnetic radiation, on the solar cell initiates a physical response whereby the solar cells generate a direct current. In general, a solar module is made up of 60 solar cells that are electrically connected together in the module and safely protected by a tough glass panel and a frame. Several modules together make up a powerful and efficient photovoltaic system. The electrical current produced at the terminals of the solar modules flows through the connected cable to the inverter,

Where it is converted to alternating current so that it can be used by electrical equipment. The French physicist Alexandre Edmond Becquerel first discovered the so called "photoelectric effect" in 1839 and thus laid the foundation for today's efficient solar cells and the production of environmentally-friendly electricity from sunlight.

As the absolute largest source of energy the sun radiates the earth with more than 10,000 times the world's energy needs for mankind in one year. The production of renewable, environmentally friendly energy from sunlight is worthwhile almost everywhere, and not just in summer. Even in bad or cloudy weather sun rays still reach the earth that can be converted to solar power by a photovoltaic system. Next to the geographic location, the output of solar electricity from a photovoltaic system is dependent on several factors; the orientation (North, South, East or West), the inclination angle of the roof and of course on the size of the solar system.

Solar power pays off - for nature, for the environment and for you.

With your own solar system you can generate electricity yourself which you then do not need to draw from a power supplier. You can use the power you generate for your own consumption. And you can significantly reduce your electricity bill every year. In many countries the power you do not consume yourself can easily be fed into the general power grid. In many regions of the world you receive a feed-in tariff credit for this. In addition, you become more independent from the steadily rising electricity costs of your power supplier, as sunshine is free of charge and is not subject to price increases.

Even in so-called low-light conditions, on cloudy or rainy days, or at dusk, solar systems keep producing environmentally friendly electricity. It is here where the solar modules from Qcells score top marks, because they are built for real-life conditions and are recognised for their particularly good performance with diffuse light. Even at a very low irradiation of 200 W/m², the current product generation of our solar modules still achieves 98 % of its original efficiency; which means a lot higher return for you with a minimal amount of sunshine. And at radiation values ​​between 400 and 900 W/m² efficiencies over 100 % of the nominal value can be achieved. These results have also been confirmed by the independent Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.

Basically, a solar system is applicable everywhere where at least 10 m² of roof area is available. Next to the geographic location, the amount of output of solar electricity is dependent on several factors; the orientation (North, South, East or West), the inclination angle of the roof and of course on the size of the solar system. With regard to the static loadings on your home, there is normally an increase of only about 25 kg/m² on installing a solar system, depending on the type of system. Naturally all the individual required conditions for a solar system on your roof are professionally checked in advance.

We are happy to advise you personally on this topic. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT US.

The output of a solar system and the associated potential for self-consumption is dependent on several factors; the orientation (North, South, East or West), the inclination angle of the roof and of course on the size of the solar system. The share of self-consumption of electricity from photovoltaic systems in Germany is on average about one-third. This proportion can however be increased by intelligent use of solar power and the application of data loggers/monitoring devices and storage systems. It is therefore up to you how much electricity you use for self-consumption.

To significantly increase the self-consumption proportion of the solar power you produce you can also use an electrical storage unit in conjunction with your photovoltaic system. These battery storage systems store excess power locally for consumption later in the day or at night.

The assembly time of a photovoltaic system for a single family house depends on the individual circumstances of your property. In general, the installation of a photovoltaic system by a professional installer takes no more than 1-2 days. In addition, the installation of the roof fixing and mounting sections only requires the removal of single roof tiles and not the recovering of the entire roof. Planning permission is very often not required for mounting a photovoltaic system on your own home. However, in Germany for example this is not standardised and varies from state to state, and therefore the planning and building regulations that apply locally must be observed.

The installer is responsible for fitting the system and once it is fully installed he will arrange for the power supply company to put it into operation. The technicians from the power supplier will then connect the photovoltaic system to the local power grid.

With Qcells high quality modules you are covered by a 12 year product warranty and a 25 year linear performance guarantee². The linear performance guarantee certifies that your Qcells module will produce at least 97 % of the minimal rated power output in the first year and a maximum reduction in output of 0.6 % p. a. thereafter. The guaranteed minimum power output after 25 years is 83 %.

In general, a photovoltaic system with Qcells multiple award-winning, high quality modules is trouble-free and very low-maintenance. However, should any problems arise in operation of your system you can simply contact your local authorised installer.

¹ APT test conditions: Cells at -1000 V relative to earth (ground), metal foil covered module surface, 25 °C, 168 hrs.

² In accordance with the warranty terms of the Hanwha Qcells distribution organisation in your region or country.

On average a photovoltaic system with a capacity of 3 kWp will reduce the environmental CO₂ burden by some 1,600 kg per year.

With the Qcells brand you get "Engineered in Germany" quality products, in other words you get: reliability, durability, resistance to weathering and resistance to potential-induced degradation (loss of power) and hotspots (danger of overheating) - but most of all you get long term high performance and top output values from your solar system. With a lifespan of well over 20 years (30-40 years according to the Federal Solar Industry Association e.V.) it is quality which pays for itself directly into your wallet: It keeps the running costs of your investment to a minimal level and consequently lowers your costs per kWh produced.

As the absolute largest source of energy the sun radiates the earth with more than 10,000 times the world's energy needs for mankind in one year. The production of renewable, environmentally friendly energy from sunlight is worthwhile almost everywhere, and not just in summer. Even in bad or cloudy weather sun rays still reach the earth that can be converted to solar power by a photovoltaic system. Next to the geographic location, the output of solar electricity from a photovoltaic system is dependent on several factors; the orientation (North, South, East or West), the inclination angle of the roof and of course on the size of the solar system.

You can find a detailed overview of the global insolation (the radiation from the sun) for your area below: 

Large areas often hold unrecognised potential to reduce the costs of your business and convert your roof into a profit centre. Solar power pays off - for nature, for the environment and for your business. With a solar panel on the roof of your premises, you produce your own electricity and consume it on-site, thus reducing your operating costs. Consuming your own power particularly pays off with reliable high performance over a long period of time. And this is guaranteed by the consistently high quality of Qcells solar modules.

In many countries the power you do not consume yourself can easily be fed into the general power grid. In many regions of the world you receive a feed-in tariff credit for this. In addition, you become more independent of the steadily rising electricity costs of your power supplier, significantly reduce your operating costs and increase the value of your commercial property.

Basically, a solar system is applicable everywhere where at least 10 m² of roof area is available. Next to the geographic location, the amount of output of solar electricity is dependent on several factors; the orientation (North, South, East or West), the inclination angle of the roof and of course on the size of the solar system. Whether it is flat or sloped roof, gabled or curved, Hanwha Qcells covers the diversity in commercial and industrial roofs through individual project planning by experienced professionals.

There is normally an increase in loading of only about 25 kg/m² on installing a solar system, depending on the type of system. Thanks to our lightweight approach and the small additional amount of ballast on flat roof systems the necessary additional static load for commercial property is only minimal. Naturally all the individual required conditions for a solar system on the roof of your company premises are professionally checked in advance.

If you are interested in a photovoltaic system for your commercial property, you can simply contact Hanwha Qcells specialists without obligation. One of our staff will promptly contact you and arrange an appointment for a personal consultation. They will record and analyse your requirements and all the specific circumstances of your premises, in order to subsequently send you our recommendation for a customised photovoltaic solution together with the output analysis.

From initial inquiry through to turnkey PV system on the roof of your company premises, Hanwha Qcells is always on hand to support you. The installation of the photovoltaic system is carried out professionally and on time by our project department or certified partners.

With Qcells high quality modules you are covered by a 12 year product warranty and a 25 year linear performance guarantee². The linear performance guarantee certifies that your Qcells module will produce at least 97 % of the minimal rated power output in the first year and a maximum reduction in output of 0.6 % p. a. thereafter. The guaranteed minimum power output after 25 years is 83 %.

In general, a photovoltaic system with Qcells multiple award-winning, high quality modules is trouble-free and very low-maintenance. However, should any problems arise in operation of your system, you can simply contact your local authorised installer of your contact person at Hanwha Qcells.

¹ APT test conditions: Cells at -1000 V relative to earth (ground), metal foil covered module surface, 25 °C, 168 hrs.

² In accordance with the warranty terms of the Hanwha Qcells distribution organisation in your region or country.

The assembly time of a photovoltaic system for commercial rooftops depends on the individual circumstances of your property. In general, installation of a PV system using our project experts is accomplished in a few days.

In general, a photovoltaic system with Qcells high quality modules is trouble-free and very low-maintenance. For continuous monitoring, reporting, and smooth system operation Hanwha Qcells offers various service and maintenance programs for your photovoltaic system.

We are happy to advise you personally on our service capability.

Solar modules from Qcells undergo strict quality tests. Our Q.PRO-G2 235 Wp module dominated the 2013 module test by the internationally recognised journal PHOTON, as the world's best polycrystalline solar module of its generation. This was out of a total of 151 modules tested in the 2013 and 2014 PHOTON output measurements.

As the absolute largest source of energy the sun radiates the earth with more than 10,000 times the world's energy needs for mankind in one year. The production of renewable, environmentally friendly energy from sunlight is worthwhile almost everywhere, and not just in summer. Even in bad or cloudy weather sun rays still reach the earth that can be converted to solar power by a photovoltaic system. Next to the geographic location, the output of solar electricity from a photovoltaic system is dependent on several factors; the orientation (North, South, East or West), the inclination angle of the roof and of course on the size of the solar system. Solar power plants however pay for themselves almost everywhere. Much more crucial than the geographic location on buildings or land, is the optimum alignment of modules to the sun and the best angle of inclination. And even under low ambient light conditions, such as under cloud cover, solar systems continue to produce environmentally friendly electricity. At a very low irradiation of 200 W/m², Qcells solar modules still achieve 98 % of their original efficiency; this means a lot higher return for you even with a minimal amount of sunshine.

You can find a detailed overview of the global insolation (the radiation from the sun) for your area below:

By using standardised designs and our cascade construction method, we are able to realise power plant projects in the order of 50 MWp or more within a few weeks. For example, our team was able to complete a 91 MWp solar farm in Germany in just 12 weeks and since 2009 we have reduced the construction time for one MW from 3.9 days to less than a day. In 2014 we installed 94,500 solar modules for a 24 MW solar farm in Great Britain in just three weeks.

Construction time for solar power plants (in days per MW)

The indicated construction time refers to ground installations > 25 MWp.

The project business of Hanwha Qcells designs and builds large-scale systems quickly and effectively. The fast and risk-neutral construction helps to minimize investment costs and enables rapid commissioning. So you get the first output a few weeks after start of construction. Even with a moderate increase in the price of electricity photovoltaic systems get closer and closer to the cost of electricity from conventional production. And also bear in mind: Unlike traditional classes of asset such as equities and real estate solar power plants are independent of economic conditions.

If you prefer, you can place your solar power plant in our dependable and experienced hands. Since 2007 our experts have taken over the full care and maintenance of numerous solar parks worldwide. We offer three different service levels with corresponding benefits.

We are happy to advise you personally on our service capability.

All the necessary components are supplied from Hanwha Qcells. The solar modules, mounting systems and inverters are therefore carefully matched. We use only the finest components from leading manufacturers, whom we have successfully worked with for years. As a result we make sure of the availability of all the components that make up the project and ensure a smooth implementation.

In the cascade construction method, the installation of the solar power plant is made in a series of interlinked steps. This modular design reduces the construction time significantly and makes the best use of resources. The low construction time and the successive network connection not only cuts costs, it also assures you of the earliest possible output and enables an early return on investment.

Hanwha Qcells offers you a single source for all development and project activities, from design through network connection to maintenance and care of complete solar power plants. On request, we take over all the crucial steps of project management as your general contractor (EPC Contractor). These include, of course, the site analysis, plant design, construction planning, obtaining local authority approvals, clarifying the feed-in options and the creation of output reports.

The planning and construction of large-scale solar power plants therefore is a highly complex process, which has been largely standardised and optimised by our specialists.

Qcells solar modules are certified according to the industry's most stringent test criteria, the "Quality Controlled PV" quality programme of the German certification institute TÜV Rheinland. This is divided into 3 segments:

1. Extended Stress Test in line with future IEC TS 63209 This series of over 40 individual tests puts our solar modules to the test: Before we go into series production and after any change – no matter how minor – we carry out module tests that set new industry standards.

2. Continuous production monitoring This is unique in the industry: In order to be able to guarantee product stability, we regularly carry out spot checks on our product lines. In addition to this, an employee of TÜV Rheinland continuously monitors the Qcells quality and monitoring measures at all Qcells production sites.

3. Component and material tests Using special analysis methods, we regularly check particularly critical components and materials at goods receipt in order to detect any quality fluctuations at an early stage, thereby keeping them out of production. In this way, we can also avoid errors that would not be visible even in tough climatic chamber tests.

Even in so-called low-light conditions, on cloudy or rainy days, or at dusk, Qcells solar systems keep producing high output. Even at a very low irradiation of 200 W/m², the current product generation of our solar modules still achieves 98 % of its original efficiency; which means a lot higher return for you with a minimal amount of sunshine. And at radiation values ​​between 400 and 900 W/m² efficiencies over 100 % of the nominal value can be achieved. These results have also been confirmed by the independent Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems 

Get in touch with us! Hanwha Qcells is available also as an experienced partner for financing. As part of the Hanwha Group, we offer investors the financial stability and backing of one of the 10 largest companies in South Korea behind us.

With Qcells high quality modules you are covered by a 12 year product warranty and a 25 year linear performance guarantee¹. The linear performance guarantee certifies that your Qcells module will produce at least 97 % of the minimal rated power output in the first year and a maximum reduction in output of 0.6 % p.a. thereafter. The guaranteed minimum power output after 25 years is 83 %.

¹ In accordance with the warranty terms of the Hanwha Qcells distribution organisation in your region or country.