Hanwha Solutions' (009830.KS) Qcells division (Hanwha Qcells) is participating in a space solar power demonstration that will send next-generation "perovskite-based tandem cells" to the moon.
Hanwha Qcells' German subsidiary said Tuesday it has been selected as a partner for the SSTEF-1 (Space Science and Technology Evaluation Facility) project involving the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States, agreeing to provide tandem cell samples. The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), a nonprofit applied research organization under Georgia Tech, selected Hanwha Qcells' tandem cells as the product to carry out the demonstration mission on solar cell performance in a space environment.
The project, which aims to directly verify solar cell performance on the lunar surface, is funded by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and managed by Aegis Aerospace, a U.S. space and defense company.
GTRI plans to install Hanwha Qcells' tandem cell samples on the surface of a lunar lander and secure demonstration data in a space environment to comprehensively evaluate the technology's stability and reliability. The ability to confirm whether the tandem cells produced with proprietary technology at Hanwha Qcells' Thalheim R&D center in Germany operate stably even in a space environment with radiation and extreme temperatures will allow the company to accelerate the development of next-generation solar technology.
Hanwha Qcells is developing ground-use tandem products with a commercialization target of 2029 and is actively pursuing the expansion of tandem technology into the space solar power field. Tandem cells can achieve high efficiency comparable to existing space-use cells and can reduce weight relative to the same installed capacity, offering high economic feasibility in terms of launch and operation.
Hanwha Qcells recently obtained International Electrotechnical Commission certification for its self-developed and self-produced ground-use perovskite-based tandem module. It is the world's first to obtain this certification with a perovskite-based tandem module.
"This project will be an important turning point in extending the potential of sustainable energy into space," Hanwha Qcells CEO Park Seung-deok said. "Based on the technological capabilities and competitiveness accumulated in solar manufacturing, we will leap forward as a global renewable energy solutions company that opens the era of space solar power."
