Hanwha Solutions institutional sector Qcells (Qcells) will join a space solar power demonstration project to send its independently developed next-generation solar cell, the "perovskite-based tandem cell" (tandem cell), to the moon. The strategy is to verify the technology in a space environment and move to preempt the future space solar power market.
On the 9th, Qcells said it will take part in the space science and technology demonstration project "SSTEF-1," supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and supply tandem cell samples.
The project is overseen by EGIS Aerospace, and carried out by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), a nonprofit applied research institute under the Georgia Institute of Technology. To verify solar cell performance in space, GTRI selected as a demonstration product the tandem cell developed by Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH.
GTRI plans to mount Qcells' tandem cell samples on the surface of a lunar probe to expose them to the space environment and collect performance data. Through this, it plans to comprehensively evaluate stability and reliability in environments different from the ground, such as vacuum conditions, extreme temperature changes, ultraviolet rays, and cosmic radiation.
Qcells plans to use the data secured through this demonstration to clarify the direction of research and development for space solar power technology. In particular, it sees this as an opportunity to verify the applicability in space of the tandem cell independently developed by the research and development center in Thalheim, Germany.
A tandem cell combines a perovskite top cell with a silicon bottom cell, and is characterized by higher efficiency than conventional silicon solar cells. Because it can reduce weight at the same power capacity, it is competitive in the space industry, where launch expense reductions are important.
On Dec. 2024, Qcells recorded a world-class efficiency of 28.6% with a large-area (M10 standard) tandem cell. It is targeting 2029 for commercialization of ground-use tandem products. Recently, it also became the first in the world to obtain International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) certification for a ground-use perovskite-based tandem module it developed in-house.
Park Seung-deok, CEO of Qcells, said, "Space solar power is not only a future energy source that can effectively respond to surging electricity demand beyond the limits of ground-based solar, but also a platform industry with significant ripple effects across core industries closely tied to security, including AI data centers, defense, and telecommunications," adding, "Qcells will leverage the technology and market competitiveness it has built up since starting out in solar manufacturing to evolve into a global renewable energy solutions company opening the era of space solar power."