VP Harris Announces Solar Manufacturing Deal in Dalton
UPDATE: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp sent News 12 the following statement on the Vice President’s visit today to Dalton.
“QCells has been a valued partner for the Peach State as we’ve experienced booming growth in next-gen jobs since they first opened in 2019, way before politicians in Washington started taking credit for it. Today’s announcement proves, once again, that the work we have been doing on the state and local level for years benefits all Georgians.”
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DALTON, Ga. (WDEF) – Vice President Kamala Harris visited Dalton today.
She made her first visit to the Tennessee Valley to make a major economic announcement at the QCells Solar Power Manufacturing Plant at the Carbondale Business Park.
QCells, which has been in Dalton since 2019, has already had a banner year, recently announcing a new manufacturing facility just about 40 miles south of Dalton in Cartersville, that is going to add 25-hundred jobs to North Georgia.
Today, they had more big news to unveil, and they had the Vice President on hand to give that announcement.
Vice President Kamala Harris greeting attendees at her speech today at the QCells facility in Dalton.
The Vice President said, “So today I am proud to announce that QCells has received a new order for two and half million solar panels, think about that.”
That is the single largest community solar power investment in American history.
The 2.5 million solar panels that will producedat the QCells facility here in Dalton will eventually be enough to power 140,000 homes across the United States.
The solar panels when constructed will be sent to Summit Ridge Energy, who will deploy these panels across the country.
The chairman and CEO for Summit Ridge Energy Steve Raeder said, “The panels will be delivered in a staggered fashion over the next few years. We have warehouse facilities that QCells delivers to directly.”
These panels are anticipated to help the nation’s grid.
Michael Carr, the Executive Director, Solar Manufacturers of America, said of the investment, “(It) makes it a lot easier to build new developments, to expand into more congested places where like Summit Ridge is building. The grid is often constrained in those areas and they provide a lot of flexibility.”
Vice President Harris credits legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Solar Energy Manufacturing in America Act for providing the path forward to providing the Dalton area with this exciting opportunity.
The Vice President said, “Increase demand for clean energy. There is a nexus, there is a nexus when we talk about the relationship between supply and demand, it is real.”
She referenced Dalton’s history as the carpet manufacturing capitol of the world, and how North Georgia will be the future of the green economy.
The Vice President said, “When we invest in climate, when we invest in clean energy, when we invest in U-S based manufacturing, we invest in America and her people.”
Vice President Harris flew into Lovell Field for her visit today, and was escorted in her motorcade to and from Dalton.
This caused traffic issues throughout the afternoon in the area.
