Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, First Domestic Localization of Thin-Film Solar Modules in Korea

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced on the 25th that it has succeeded in developing domestic technology for compound semiconductor solar cells composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium (CIGS) thin-film solar modules for the first time in Korea.

KHNP, together with the Korea Institute of Energy Research and Soland, completed localization and obtained the Korean Industrial Standard (KS) certification for the first time in Korea on the 21st. The localization technology development led by KHNP is evaluated to have laid the foundation for securing the technological competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and advancing the solar power industry ecosystem through cooperation between SMEs and research institutions.

CIGS thin-film solar modules have about 15% lower power generation efficiency compared to conventional silicon solar modules, but they are lightweight and flexible, making them next-generation products that can be installed in significantly more locations.

Since June last year, KHNP has been demonstrating thin-film solar power generation on the roof of a building inside the Korea Institute of Energy Research with a capacity of 3 kilowatts (kW). Additionally, in the first half of this year, they plan to conduct a 3kW demonstration using the vertical wall of a building and install an additional 10kW demonstration facility on the building roof.

Building on this, KHNP plans to continuously expand building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) projects applicable to buildings to successfully achieve the government's zero-energy building mandate and the Green New Deal.

Jung Jaehoon, CEO of KHNP, stated, "Flexible solar technology has only been commercialized in leading solar module countries such as Japan and Europe, and this is the first case of successful domestic module technology development in Korea. With this localization, we will diversify the application sites of solar power generation and contribute to pioneering new solar markets and expanding renewable energy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.