South Korea

Hanwha Qcells has closed its 3.5 GW solar factory in South Korea as part of plans to optimise its PV module production capabilities amid a stagnant domestic solar market.

Scientists from South Korea have designed new photovoltaic modules with both rectangular and triangular shapes and solar cells connected in parallel, which they said have higher partial-shading tolerance compared with cells connected in strings. The panels are reportedly less sensitive to partial-shading geometries than shingled modules.

South Korean technology giant Samsung is reportedly looking to develop a ‘mega scale’ renewable generation, storage, and green manufacturing hub in the Northern Territory, its government has announced. However, no actual details on the size, nor any real specifics, appear to be known.

South Korean researchers have developed a long-term solar irradiance prediction method based on a reinforcement learning algorithm. They claim that the new model is able to forecast solar radiation for more than a year using just two weeks of solar radiation learning.

South Korean companies Posco and East-West Power are developing a new building-integrated solar photovoltaic solution. The new product uses special galvanized steel as the panel’s backside that Posco says lasts five to 10 times longer than standard steel.

The consortium partners behind an export-scale green hydrogen and ammonia production facility planned for north Queensland will advance the mega project from concept to feasibility stage after signing a formal heads of agreement.

An international consortium planning to build a 50 GW renewable energy hub in Australia’s southwest has signed an early agreement with Korea’s largest electricity utility to advance the development of what would be one of the world’s largest green hydrogen production facilities.

South Korea is opening what it claims is the world’s first hydrogen power generation bidding market, while the Queensland government has approved funding to assess water use in Gladstone’s hydrogen industry.

Samsung and SMA are using a new cloud-to-cloud system that allows PV systems with SMA inverters to be integrated with Samsung heat pumps.

Brisbane-based battery materials and technology company Novonix has sealed a $45 million (USD 30 million) deal with South Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution that is complemented by an agreement between the two parties to jointly work toward developing high-performance, synthetic graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries.