Three laboratories at Hanwha Solutions' Q Cells division, or Hanwha Q Cells, within its Renewable Energy Research Center have received new certification as excellent safety management labs. Hanwha Q Cells said on Oct. 26 that its process development, materials development and analysis labs at the Pangyo R&D Center recently obtained the certification. All labs participating in the programme for the first time passed.

The excellent safety management lab certification programme is operated by the Ministry of Science and ICT. It grants certification after reviewing laboratories with strong safety management standards and activities. It evaluates safety management systems and the level of activities, along with researchers' safety awareness.

Hanwha Q Cells said it prepared the full process in a review of its safety and environmental management framework, from establishing systems and executing them on site to raising safety awareness among members. It also strengthened communication among safety managers, laboratory managers and research activity workers. The steps were taken to align the safety management system with on-site operations.

The Pangyo R&D Center is the largest research institution in South Korea developing core technology for perovskite tandem solar cells, a next-generation high-efficiency solar cell. The three certified labs are responsible for key research for mass production of tandem solar cells. The process development lab verifies efficiency and reliability and develops manufacturing processes for commercialisation. The materials development lab carries out development and verification to secure new materials suitable for mass production. The analysis lab uses advanced equipment to analyse material and device characteristics, identify the causes of process problems and support product improvements.

Hanwha Q Cells plans to strengthen its research and development capabilities for tandem mass production based on a safe research environment. It aims to accelerate efforts to secure competitiveness in next-generation solar cell technology.

Moon Su-jin (문수진), head of Hanwha Q Cells' Pangyo R&D Center, said, "With this certification as a momentum, we will operate the safety and environmental management framework we have built in a stable manner and raise the level of safety management by spreading best practices across the institute." She added, "We will continue to strengthen the laboratory safety culture and speed up R&D for tandem solar cells, linking it to rapid mass production."