Samsung & Q CELLS Join Forces for ‘Zero Energy Home’ Solutions

Samsung Electronics and Q CELLS have announced a new strategic partnership that will see the two companies combine their technological expertise to provide “zero energy home” solutions.

A zero energy home is one that becomes energy self-sufficient by only utilizing energy that is drawn from the home itself. This self-sufficiency is achieved by both producing energy through renewables like solar, and reducing energy consumption through utilization of more efficient devices.

Under this new partnership, the two companies will work towards establishing new solutions in which Samsung’s SmartThings Energy service is connected to Q CELLS’ solar modules and energy storage systems (ESS). This solution would allow homeowners to produce and store their own energy, then harness the SmartThings IoT platform to monitor and automatically optimize energy consumption in their home appliances and heat pumps (EHS, Eco Heating System).

For instance, the solution could automatically switch home appliances that are connected to the platform to energy-saving mode at night or on cloudy days, when solar energy capture levels are low.

Speaking about the new partnership, Jaeseung Lee, president and head of Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances Business, said, “We look forward to our collaboration with Q CELLS expanding our presence and strengthening the Samsung brand in global markets. We anticipate great synergy between Samsung’s smart home appliances and SmartThings platform, and Q CELLS’ solar energy and storage solutions.”

Q CELLS CEO Hee Cheul (Charles) Kim added that, “We expect the partnership between these two Korean companies to provide our global customer base with even more competitive energy solutions. We are hopeful that synergizing with Samsung Electronics will help strengthen our leading position in the global residential energy market.”

Smartphone and chip giant Samsung Electronics’ fulfilment of a headline-grabbing pledge to switch to renewable energy in the US, China and Europe accounts for less than 20 percent of its global electricity use, environmentalists Greenpeace recently said. The campaign group said that the firm needs to broaden and deepen its commitment if it is going to have a genuine impact in the fight against climate change, and urged it to take similar steps in more countries within “aggressive timeframes.”