Hanwha Solutions' Qcells division is expanding high-efficiency cell technology accumulated in terrestrial solar power into the space market. Hanwha Solutions said on Tuesday it signed a contract with Hanwha Systems to develop high-efficiency solar cell and panel technology for satellites.

Under the contract, Hanwha Systems will invest 30 billion won in phases over 2.5 years from 2026 to 2028 to develop tandem solar cells for satellites. Hanwha Solutions' Qcells division will handle core research and development, including high-efficiency cell design, performance advancement and reliability verification in the space environment. The two companies plan to secure power solution technology applicable to the satellite environment and lay the groundwork for commercialisation.

The development will focus on a power solution optimised for the very low Earth orbit (VLEO) environment. VLEO satellites must meet power efficiency, structural lightness, and durability against radiation and atomic oxygen at the same time. Hanwha Solutions plans to build in-house integrated power solution capabilities spanning tandem-based high-efficiency solar cell development and verification of packaging and panel applicability. It also plans to conduct space demonstration using an actual launch vehicle to build an initial space demonstration track record for tandem solar cells.

After completing technology verification through a test satellite by 2028, it will move to commercialisation by applying tandem cells to actual satellites from 2029, linked to a project for a 64-satellite constellation of 0.15-m-class VLEO ultra-high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (VLEO UHR SAR) satellites that Hanwha Systems will mass-produce. The two companies plan to expand the technology secured this time to various environments such as low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO) to strengthen competitiveness in the global space power market.

Park Seung-deok (박승덕), head of the Qcells division, said the collaboration with Hanwha Systems is an important starting point for expanding Qcells' accumulated high-efficiency solar cell technology into the space industry. He said the company will enhance the performance and reliability of satellite power solutions and, in the long term, create new growth opportunities in the global space power market based on convergence between the space industry and the renewable energy industry.