Hanwha Q CELLS, the solar division of Hanwha Solutions, will send a “perovskite tandem cell,” regarded as a next-generation solar cell, to the Moon to verify the feasibility of space-based solar power generation.

According to Hanwha Solutions on the 9th, Hanwha Q CELLS’ German subsidiary will participate as a partner in the project “SSTEF-1,” which includes the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States. The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), an affiliated research organization of Georgia Tech, has decided to use Hanwha Q CELLS’ tandem cells to demonstrate space-based solar power generation. The project is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is led by Aegis Aerospace.

Perovskite has a higher light absorption rate than silicon, which is mainly used as a solar cell material, and is therefore called a “game changer” material. A tandem cell is a next-generation product that uses both perovskite cells and silicon cells, enabling the absorption of wavelengths of light that cannot be absorbed by silicon cells alone. However, due to commercialization challenges, it remains at the research stage.

GTRI plans to install the tandem cells on the surface of a lunar lander, expose them to the space environment, and obtain demonstration data. The purpose is to evaluate the stability and reliability of the tandem cells in space, where conditions include vacuum, large temperature fluctuations, and variables such as radiation.

Space-based solar power generation has the advantage of being unaffected by weather and terrain. Recently, as Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, mentioned a “space data center,” space-based solar power generation has been drawing attention alongside this concept.

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