Hanwha Qcells to lead government R&D push for tandem solar module commercialization

By Park Hye-won, The Herald Business

Hanwha Solutions' Qcells division — known as Hanwha Qcells — will serve as the lead institution in a government-led research and development project to develop and demonstrate perovskite tandem module technology, marking a major step toward commercializing next-generation high-efficiency solar cells.

Hanwha Qcells announced Sunday that it had signed an agreement to carry out the R&D project titled "Technology Development and Demonstration of Commercial-Area Perovskite/Crystalline Silicon Tandem Modules" under the energy technology development project of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, an agency under the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy. Tandem cells can theoretically boost power generation efficiency by up to 44 percent compared with conventional silicon cells, making them a key technology for future solar markets, including space applications.

Hanwha Qcells will form a consortium with domestic industry, academic and research partners to conduct research on core processes, module fabrication and reliability verification needed to realize commercial-area tandem modules. The consortium, in which Hanwha Qcells serves as the lead research institution, includes nine organizations in total — domestic companies, research institutes and universities. Starting in April, the consortium plans to carry out R&D over three years with the goal of demonstrating commercial-area tandem modules measuring at least 1.7 square meters and achieving a module efficiency of 28 percent or higher.

Hanwha Qcells will focus particularly on developing tandem manufacturing technology suited for mass production. The company plans to conduct outdoor demonstrations and business feasibility analyses with domestic research institutions to identify technical and commercial improvements needed for future market deployment, then secure tandem module manufacturing technology at the right time. It also plans to strengthen cooperation with materials, components and equipment companies and contribute to building a domestic next-generation solar industry ecosystem.

Hanwha Qcells aims to strengthen its market position through leading commercialization of tandem technology while also laying the groundwork for new application areas such as the space sector. The company has set 2029 as its target year for commercializing tandem technology. Going forward, it plans to link its tandem pilot lines operating in South Korea and Germany with this national R&D project to accumulate demonstration data on commercial-area modules and progressively build the technological foundation needed for a future transition to mass production.

Moon Su-jin, head of Hanwha Qcells' Pangyo R&D Center, said the project represents "an important turning point in earnestly verifying the commercialization potential of next-generation tandem solar cells." He added that the company would "accelerate the timeline for commercializing tandem technology, drawing on our accumulated cell and module expertise and mass production capabilities, and contribute to strengthening the global competitiveness of the domestic solar industry ecosystem."