JINCHEON, North Chungcheong Province -- Hanwha Q Cells Korea, the solar cell and module manufacturer under Hanwha Group, on Tuesday revealed its factory in North Chungcheong Province, as it seeks to top the global solar power market backed by the smart factory and improved management efficiency.

Hanwha Q Cells Korea’s smart factory in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, is the world’s largest single solar cell plant, where 2.2 million solar cells are produced daily, the company said.

Sitting on 190,000 square meters of land, the plant has the capacity to manufacture 3.7 gigawatts of solar cells, equivalent to the amount of electricity used by roughly 5 million people.

“We produce top-notch products by utilizing big data and automated production. This has allowed us to reach No. 1 in market share in the US and Japan,” the company said.

Alongside solar cell production, some 1.4 gigawatts of solar modules can also be made at the factory.

Solar cells and modules are main components for solar power generation. Solar cells convert solar energy to electricity, while a solar module refers to solar cells put together, playing a vital role in holding the fragile cells in place.

A brief tour around the smart factory was offered to media ahead of the company’s merger with Hanwha Advanced Materials that is expected wrap up later this week.

The merged company will kick off with a new name, “Hanwha Q Cells & Advanced Materials,” under Hanwha Chemical.

Hanwha Chemical, the holding company of the new entity, is hoping the new firm would bolster its earnings, as it looks set to post sluggish earnings in the third and fourth quarter.

Out of the 22 trillion won ($19.4 billion) Hanwha Group recently pledged to invest in the next five years, 9 trillion won was allocated to solar energy, the company said.

The production capacity of solar cells and modules of Hanwha Group tallies at 8 gigawatts each with factories in Malaysia and China alongside research and development headquarters in Germany. 

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)