- Korea Institute of Energy Research hosts roundtable with solar firms and related agencies

- Focus on securing solar cell manufacturing, materials, equipment and supply chains

Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan listens to a briefing at the Solar Energy Industry Shared Research Center of the Korea Institute of Energy Research in Daejeon. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]
Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan listens to a briefing at the Solar Energy Industry Shared Research Center of the Korea Institute of Energy Research in Daejeon. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]

The government is moving to accelerate the development of next-generation solar technology and strengthen the domestic industry ecosystem, targeting solar cell efficiency of 35 percent or higher.

The Korea Institute of Energy Research said Monday it is hosting a roundtable on strengthening the advanced strategic technology ecosystem for solar energy at its Solar Energy Industry Shared Research Center in Daejeon, with Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan and representatives from major domestic solar companies and related agencies in attendance.

The forum was organized to advance the full technology development cycle — from high-efficiency silicon solar cells to next-generation tandem solar cells — and to bolster the competitiveness of domestic manufacturing, materials, equipment and supply chains.

The government this year added renewable energy to its list of 55 priority technologies under the revamped "NEXT National Strategic Technologies" framework. In the "Seven SEED Projects" announced in August, it also identified breakthrough renewable energy as a core initiative, pursuing the commercialization of perovskite tandem solar cells with efficiency of 35 percent or more.

Participants at Monday's roundtable included HD Hyundai Energy Solutions, Hanwha Solutions and OCI Power, along with the Korea Photovoltaic Industry Association, the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, the Korea Energy Agency and the city of Daejeon.

Attendees agreed that securing the competitiveness of existing crystalline silicon solar cells is a critical foundation for commercializing next-generation technologies. They said the industry must continuously advance high-efficiency silicon technologies — including N-type TOPCon, heterojunction (HJT) and back-contact (xBC) — while building a technology innovation pathway leading to tandem solar cells.

The Solar Energy Industry Shared Research Center, where the roundtable was held, is the country's only open-innovation research platform equipped with a 50-megawatt solar cell manufacturing line and a 100-megawatt large-area module pilot line. It allows solar technologies to be validated before mass production and supports the manufacturing of high-efficiency silicon solar cells using domestically developed equipment, as well as research into next-generation tandem solar cells.

Key participants pose for a photo at the roundtable on strengthening the advanced strategic technology ecosystem for solar energy. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]
Key participants pose for a photo at the roundtable on strengthening the advanced strategic technology ecosystem for solar energy. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]

The center is also building infrastructure for large-area manufacturing of perovskite solar cells and laying the groundwork for efficiency measurement and international standardization of tandem solar cells.

"Solar energy will supply the clean energy needed by advanced industries such as AI and semiconductors, while at the same time becoming a new growth engine for the Korean economy," Kim said. "We will bring together domestic research infrastructure and the capabilities of industry, academia and research institutions to secure next-generation solar technology at the earliest opportunity and lead the global market."

Jo Jun-sik, acting president of the Korea Institute of Energy Research, said the industry must secure technological capabilities across the entire value chain — not only solar cell manufacturing processes, but also module assembly, materials, equipment, measurement, reliability, and inverter, system and installation technologies. "Next-generation technology development must not remain confined to the laboratory but must translate into real industrial competitiveness," he said, stressing the need to advance full-cycle technologies and link them to large-scale national projects.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com