▲(From left) Jong-soo Lee, Director of Hyundai Motor Company Advanced Technology Research Institute, and Yong-hoon Lee, President of UNIST (Photo provided by UNIST)


Hyundai Motor Group-UNIST Joint Research Lab Agreement and Signing Ceremony Held
Joint research will be promoted by 2025, with participation from world-renowned solar cell experts.

UNIST's perovskite solar cell technology is taking on the challenge of developing a 'solar-powered car' to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

On the 10th, UNIST and Hyundai Motor Group held a signing ceremony and plaque presentation ceremony for the 'Hyundai Motor Group-UNIST Next-Generation Solar Cell Joint Research Lab for Mobility (hereinafter referred to as the Joint Research Lab)', marking the start of joint research.

Hyundai Motor Group is applying a 'solar roof' to some of its vehicles, which generates solar power and charges the vehicle using the car's roof.

The solar roof's solar panels can charge the battery by leaving the vehicle under the sun, and it can be charged while driving, and it does not emit carbon dioxide, so it is attracting attention as an eco-friendly car technology.

Experts have suggested that improvements in weight and efficiency are needed for solar roofs to become more widespread.

Silicon solar cells, currently the most commonly used, are safe and inexpensive, but they are heavy and face technological limitations with a maximum efficiency of 26%.

Accordingly, the joint research lab is suitable for solar cells for vehicles &lWe are challenging the core technology of creating a 'high-efficiency, large-area perovskite-silicon tandem device'.

▲ Automotive power generation system using perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells (Image provided by UNIST)

The research team's ultimate goal is to apply high-efficiency, large-area perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells to solar roof systems that install solar cells on the roof of automobiles.

Tandem solar cells have the advantage of utilizing energy from different wavelength bands by stacking two types of solar cell elements.

Seok Sang-il, a distinguished professor in the Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST, said, “For solar cells for mobility, it is very important to be lightweight and have high efficiency per unit area.” He added, “We will challenge the world’s highest efficiency by creating a ‘perovskite-silicon tandem device’ that stacks perovskite and silicon, which have different wavelength bands that absorb sunlight.”

To achieve its research goals, the joint research lab plans to maximize and optimize each element technology, including perovskite bandgap control, large-area coating method development, and charge transfer material development.

Jong-soo Lee, head of Hyundai Motor Company's Advanced Technology Research Center, said, "If we aim for zero carbon emissions by 2050, greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles must be reduced by 24% by 2030 compared to now." He added, "We will utilize UNIST's advanced technology to advance the 'solar roof' technology and make a difference in the automobile industry."He also said, “It will also contribute to carbon neutrality.”

UNIST President Yong-Hoon Lee said, “UNIST currently holds the world’s highest efficiency (25.7%) for perovskite single-element solar cells, and is currently conducting the Alchymist project (Principal Investigator: Kyung-Jin Choi) with Distinguished Professor Seok Sang-Il, Professor Kyung-Jin Choi, and Professor Chang-Duk Yang as the main players, aiming to achieve an efficiency of 35%.” He added, “Through the joint research project with Hyundai Motor Group, we hope to achieve good results in solar cells for mobility and develop solar cell technology that can be applied to a wide range of fields such as ships and buildings as well as automobiles.”