Q Cells has donated solar modules to La Guajira, Colombia, a region that was hit by hurricanes in late 2020. A total of 310 kW of solar modules from Q Cells will arrive at the port of Cartagena in August to help to restore the power infrastructure and also revitalize education locally.
With on-the-ground assistance from the Institute for Planning and Promotion of Energy Solutions for Non-Interconnected Zones (IPSE) under the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Colombia, the module shipment will be delivered to educational facilities attended by about 5,600 students.
Damaged infrastructure
In Colombia, swathes of electricity, telecommunications and water infrastructure were all damaged by Eta and Iota, two hurricanes that hit Central and South America in November 2020. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 14,470 households and 68,883 people were affected by the hurricane in La Guajira, the region to which Q Cells has donated its high-quality solar modules.
This module donation to Colombia is the latest act of social goodwill by Q Cells. The company has regularly sought to create social good by utilizing the characteristics of solar technology. For example, Q Cells donated photovoltaic systems to schools in North-east Japan back in 2011, where the power grid was destroyed by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Clean Up Mekong campaign
In 2019, Q Cells donated solar modules to the ‘Clean Up Mekong’ campaign conducted by Hanwha Group. The campaign provided two solar-powered waste-collecting boats to Vinh Long, Vietnam, to help remove floating waste from the river in an environmentally-friendly manner. This campaign, which creatively approached environmental issues with eco-friendly energy, won a Gold Award at the New York Festival, one of the world's three largest advertising festival.
In Korea, Q Cells also cooperates with Hanwha Group on the ‘Happy Sunshine’ campaign, which provides social welfare facilities with free installation and operation of photovoltaic systems. Since 2011, Hanwha Group have donated 2,187 kW of photovoltaic systems to 320 social welfare facilities nationwide, which is equivalent to the annual electricity demand of about 720 households.
Solar Forest Campaign
Furthermore, Q Cells has continuously participated in the 'Hanwha Solar Forest' campaign, in which Hanwha Group creates eco-friendly forests with seedlings grown using solar power to respond to desertification and fine dust issues. Through the campaign, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, Hanwha Group created seven forests in Korea, China and Mongolia, and has so far planted approximately 500,000 trees.
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This campaign was introduced as the world’s first corporate campaign utilizing solar energy to prevent desertification at the 2011 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) event. In 2018, the campaign was featured as a major partnership for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the High-Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development held at UN headquarters. (hcn)
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