European Installers Rank Hanwha Q CELLS as a 'TOP BRAND PV' in EuPD Research Survey

BITTERFELD-WOLFEN, Germany, March 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: HQCL), one of the world's largest producers of solar modules with high quality in-house solar cells, received the "Top Brand PV Europe Seal 2018" award for the fifth time in a row since 2014. EuPD Research awards The Top Brand PV seals based on the Global PV Installer Monitor, a representative survey among installers in various countries in Europe and selected additional markets around the globe. Participating installers in Germany, Austria, France, Italy and the UK confirmed that the Q CELLS brand offers exceptional products and service quality. Thus, the company not only received the Top Brand PV Seal 2018 in each of these countries, but also for all of Europe. Moreover, the company has received the seal for the third consecutive year in Australia.

"First choice partner" of Installers in Europe and Australia

Europe's leading research firm, EuPD Research, confirmed the results of this year's Global PV Installer Monitor survey, which clearly show that "Hanwha Q CELLS continues to maintain an exceptional market position in the leading European PV markets and in Australia." Furthermore, the independent research institute emphasized that participating installers rated Q CELLS' products positively compared to the competition.  

Mark A. W. Hoehner, CEO at EuPD Research said, "As we have launched the 'Top Brand PV' scoring process and the resulting seal eight years ago, we can affirm that there are only very few companies like Hanwha Q CELLS that have been continuously able to reach the ‚Top Brand PV' Europe status over the last five years. That's a very good sign for sustainability in brand awareness, customer satisfaction, recommendation rate and market share."

"We are very pleased that the installers across Europe and in Australia are continuously maintaining trust in the company Hanwha Q CELLS and the products of our Q CELLS brand", says Seongwoo Nam, CEO of Hanwha Q CELLS. "This confirmation from our customers spurs us in our mission to become the leading solar provider all over Europe and the synonym for performance and quality in solar."

List of recent awards underlines Hanwha Q CELLS' leadership position

The "Top Brand PV 2018 Seals" add to the list of awards received by Hanwha Q CELLS during the past 12 months. This underlines the company's leadership position in terms of technology, quality and global market share.

-  Most recently, the Q.PEAK-G4.1 monocrystalline solar module with Q.ANTUM technology bagged the Smart HIT Award in Japan in 2017 as the preferred solar module of residential customers in Japan. "Smart House Magazine", who issues this award based on survey responses by PV distributors in Japan, emphasized that the module won due to its price competitiveness and well-balanced quality and cost.

-  The Q.PEAK DUO-G5 solar module with half-cut cells and Q.ANTUM-DUO technology won the company the "Solar + Power Award for Excellence - Innovation" in 2017.

-  Hanwha Q CELLS ranked as "Top Performer 2017" in the DNV GL PV Module Reliability Scorecard.

-  The innovative steel frame solar module Q.PEAK RSF L-G4.2 won three awards for Hanwha Q CELLS in 2017: The "Intersolar Award", the "pv magazine top innovation award" and the "Solar Power Portal Product Innovation Award".

About Hanwha Q CELLS

Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ:HQCL) is one of the world´s largest and most recognized photovoltaic manufacturers for its high-performance, high-quality solar cells and modules. It is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea (Global Executive HQ) and Thalheim, Germany (Technology & Innovation HQ) with its diverse international manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and China. Hanwha Q CELLS offers the full spectrum of photovoltaic products, applications and solutions, from modules to kits to systems to large-scale solar power plants. Through its growing global business network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East, the company provides excellent services and long-term partnership to its customers in the utility, commercial, government and residential markets. Hanwha Q CELLS is a flagship company of Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 firm and a Top 10 business enterprise in South Korea. For more information, visit: http://www.hanwha-qcells.com

About EuPD Research Sustainable Management GmbH

EuPD Research Sustainable Management GmbH is an international service provider focusing on B2B market research with a highly specialized multilingual interview center. EuPD provides its clients in Europe, Asia and the US with the entire range of qualitative and quantitative research services. With the help of in-depth market knowledge combined with methodological professionalism, EuPD provides practical, future-oriented business solutions and ensure that its clients receive a return on their research investment. EuPD's continuous research has enabled it to develop particular skills in the field of renewable energy sources, particularly in the field of solar energy.

TOP BRAND PV: How the Seal is awarded 

Through regular surveys, market researchers and pollsters of EuPD Research identify the preferences of PV installers worldwide when recommending module brands. The independent TOP BRAND PV Seal is based on an annual multi-level analysis of qualified statements in regards to brand perception, brand management and market penetration from installers and intermediaries.

Safe-Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and the Hanwha Q CELLS' operations and business outlook, contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Hanwha Q CELLS filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Except as required by law, Hanwha Q CELLS does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd.