South Korea's Qcells tests tandem solar modules for 2029 launch
· UPIJune 29 (Asia Today) -- Hanwha Qcells said Monday it will lead a government-backed research project to test commercial-size perovskite-silicon tandem solar modules as the South Korean company targets commercial production in 2029.
The project marks a shift in the global race to develop tandem solar technology from laboratory research toward testing its performance, reliability and economic viability under commercial conditions.
Hanwha Qcells recently signed an agreement to conduct a project titled "Development and Demonstration of Commercial-Size Perovskite-Crystalline Silicon Tandem Module Technology."
The Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning will oversee the project as part of a government energy technology development program.
Hanwha Qcells will lead a consortium of nine South Korean companies, research institutes and universities.
The consortium began the three-year project in April. It aims to demonstrate commercial-size tandem modules with an efficiency of at least 28% and an area of at least 1.7 square meters, or about 18.3 square feet.
Hanwha Qcells will focus on developing core manufacturing processes, module assembly technologies and reliability testing methods suitable for mass production.
The consortium will also conduct outdoor testing and business feasibility studies to determine whether the technology can be used in the commercial market.
The company said the project goes beyond laboratory research by examining whether tandem modules can achieve the performance, durability and cost competitiveness required for large-scale production.
Hanwha Qcells also plans to expand cooperation with South Korean materials, components and equipment suppliers to strengthen the country's next-generation solar manufacturing industry.
Tandem solar cells stack a perovskite layer on top of a crystalline silicon cell. The two layers absorb different wavelengths of sunlight, allowing the cell to convert more solar energy into electricity than conventional silicon cells.
According to Hanwha Qcells, tandem cells have a theoretical efficiency limit of 44%, compared with 29% for conventional silicon cells.
The company said the technology could also provide a higher power-to-weight ratio and lower manufacturing costs than conventional solar cells used in space.
Those advantages could eventually allow tandem cells to be used in emerging markets such as space-based solar power if the technology's durability and reliability are established.
Hanwha Qcells plans to link the government project with tandem pilot production lines it operates in South Korea and Germany.
The company will use the project to collect performance data from commercial-size modules and establish the manufacturing technologies needed to move toward mass production.
Hanwha Qcells is targeting 2029 for the commercialization of its tandem technology.
"This project will be an important turning point in fully testing the commercial potential of next-generation tandem solar cells," said Moon Su-jin, head of Hanwha Qcells' Pangyo Research and Development Center.
"Based on the cell and module technologies and mass-production capabilities we have accumulated, we will work to accelerate commercialization and strengthen the global competitiveness of South Korea's solar industry," Moon said.
-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260629010009890