Securing Game-Changing Solar Cell Technology... Ministry of Science and ICT Launches 'K-Moonshot' Project

Discussion on Next-Generation Solar Cell Development, Including Perovskite and Multi-Junction Technologies
World's Highest Efficiency of 26.3% Achieved and Shared

The government will strengthen its research and development (R&D) support to secure "game-changing solar cell technology" that will lead the next-generation solar market.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on March 10 that it had discussed the direction of next-generation solar cell technology development and research field challenges with researchers in the solar cell sector, and shared plans for promoting the "K-Moonshot Project" to secure ultra-high-efficiency multi-junction solar cell technology.

Reference photo to aid in understanding the article. The Cheollian Satellite 2B undergoing solar panel deployment testing. Photo by The Asia Business Daily Database

Solar cells are core devices for solar power generation that convert sunlight into electricity, and are considered key technologies for spreading renewable energy in the era of carbon neutrality. The Ministry of Science and ICT is working to maximize efficiency and secure next-generation solar cell technologies that can be utilized in various applications, such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and vehicle-mounted systems.

This discussion shared the goals, roadmap for solar cell technology development, and strategies for securing game-changing technologies within the K-Moonshot Project.

The meeting also introduced major research achievements made possible through government support.

The research team of Professor Jin Young Kim at Seoul National University and the research team of Dr. Jeong Jung Hyun at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) shared their achievement of recording the world's highest efficiency of 26.3% with perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells, which was listed in the 2025 solar cell efficiency chart of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

In addition, the meeting introduced research on perovskite module stability by Professor Jang Won Seo's team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), inorganic thin-film solar cell technology by Professor Byung Ha Shin's team at KAIST, ultra-lightweight multi-junction technology by Senior Researcher Ki Hwan Kim's team at the Korea Institute of Energy Research, and original triple-junction solar cell technology by Professor Hyun Seok Jeong's team at Sungkyunkwan University.

The researchers emphasized that to lead the next-generation solar cell market beyond conventional silicon solar cells, it is necessary to secure game-changing fundamental technologies and provide end-to-end research and development support for early commercialization.

Oh Dae Hyun, Director General for Future Strategy and Technology Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Solar cells are a core technology that can simultaneously achieve greenhouse gas reduction and energy independence," adding, "We will continue close communication with the research field to accelerate the timeline for securing game-changing solar cell technologies."

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