Hanwha Q Cells said Friday that it has become the first company to receive the highest grade under the government’s carbon certification program for solar modules.

According to the South Korean solar cell and module manufacturer, seven of its solar modules earned grade 1 certification from the Industry Ministry. They will be available starting next month, a company official said. 

Launched July 22, the ministry’s program divides solar modules into three categories based on the amount of carbon they emit throughout the manufacturing process and after they are installed. Grade 1 solar modules, which emit no more than 670 kilograms of carbon per kilowatt of energy generated, are eligible for government subsidies.

The ministry says the program will reduce carbon emissions from solar modules in the country by 10 percent, the equivalent of cutting 230,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually or planting 2 million pine trees.

“Hanwha Q Cells will continue to develop low-carbon products to contribute to the global efforts of reducing greenhouse gases,” Hanwha Q Cells President Kim Hee-chul said.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)