The U.S. unit of Q Cells, the world’s largest residential and community solar solutions providing unit of South Korea’s Hanwha Solution, will command its first standalone battery storage facility through the maximum 380megawatt-per-hour Sputnik Energy Storage development project in Hunt County, Texas.

Q Cells in a press release on Thursday said it will break ground for the facility in January next year and begin operation in December. The Sputnik Energy Storage Project located in Hunt County will be a 190MW/380MWh standalone storage facility, one of the biggest in the jurisdiction of the Energy Reliability Council of Texas, and connect to the Rayburn County Elecric Cooperative grid to provide for 154,000 residential homes.

The project will help it strengthen its reputation in the U.S. renewable energy and energy storage market, the company said.

According to global consultancy for energy business Wood Mackenzie, Hanwha Q Cells commanded the largest share in the residential photovoltaic module market for three years in a row and in the commercial module market for two straight years.

Hanwha Q Cells also made a top 10 contractor in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for solar farm projects in the U.S. last year, the company said. It had won 523 megawatts worth solar EPC projects in the U.S. until last year.

“The U.S. PV market is growing rapidly under low carbon and eco-friendly initiatives,” said Hanwha Q Cells. “We will become a comprehensive eco-friendly energy solution provider by strengthening quality control and enhancing brand recognition.”

By Choi Mira

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