HYU Research Team Selected for 'Global Research Hub Project,' Cooperation with Caltech to Develop Next-Gen Commercial Space Solar Cells
Professor Ko Min-jae's research team from Hanyang University's Department of Chemical Engineering is launching an international joint research project with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to develop high-performance, ultra-lightweight, and affordable next-generation space solar cells.
The team announced their selection for the 2026 Global Research Hub Establishment with Outstanding Overseas Research Institutes Project (Global Network Expansion) to establish the 'HYU-Caltech Photovoltaic Research for Innovative Space Modules (HYU-Caltech PRISM).’ Through this project, they will receive 3.3 billion KRW in research funding over five and a half years, from July 2026 to December 2031.
Professor Ko will serve as the domestic principal investigator (PI), while Caltech's Professor Harry Atwater (Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science) will act as the overseas PI. The two institutions plan to build a long-term joint research system by combining their respective expertise in next-generation solar cell materials and devices with space environment evaluation capabilities.
To secure the high-efficiency, ultra-lightweight, and highly stable solar power technology required for space, the team is developing next-generation tandem solar cells that combine perovskite and III-V group semiconductors. Perovskite solar cells have recently gained attention as next-generation space solar cell materials due to their high specific power, excellent radiation resistance, and process flexibility. By integrating these advantages of perovskite with the high efficiency and stability of III-V group solar cells, the team aims to overcome the performance and weight limitations of existing space solar cells while lowering production costs to create affordable next-generation models.
The Hanyang University team will develop device structures tailored for space environments based on high-performance perovskite solar cells, radiation-resistant materials, and tandem technology. In collaboration with Caltech, they will optimize solar cell performance, analyze stability in space environments, and conduct actual space demonstrations. Caltech will contribute its expertise in lightweighting III-V solar cells, radiation testing, and space environment evaluation to the joint research.
In particular, Professor Atwater, a world-renowned researcher in nanophotonics, photovoltaics, and next-generation energy conversion, has led the development of ultra-lightweight solar power and space wireless power transmission technologies through Caltech's Space Solar Power Project. He continues to lead the field of space photovoltaics, having conducted research in 2023 to verify core technologies for collecting solar energy and transmitting power wirelessly in an actual space environment.
Professor Ko's team, which has pioneered research on high-efficiency, high-stability, and ultra-lightweight perovskite solar cells, plans to expand its focus from terrestrial solar cells to next-generation energy devices viable in the extreme space environments.
Beyond simple research cooperation, this project is significant for establishing a sustainable international joint research hub between Hanyang University and Caltech. Both institutions will promote research personnel exchanges, foster next-generation researchers, and generate joint research outcomes, while expanding their cooperative network with domestic and international research institutes and industries.
Professor Ko stated, "This project allows us to combine Hanyang University's perovskite solar cell technology with Caltech's space solar research capabilities. Our goal is to secure high-performance solar cell technology applicable in actual space environments and, in the long term, develop into an international space energy research hub bridging Hanyang University and Caltech."
Meanwhile, HYU-Caltech PRISM aims to establish a research system spanning from materials and device development to space environment verification by 2031, securing core fundamental technologies applicable to future satellites and space solar power systems.
Source : NewsH(https://www.newshyu.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1025861)
The team announced their selection for the 2026 Global Research Hub Establishment with Outstanding Overseas Research Institutes Project (Global Network Expansion) to establish the 'HYU-Caltech Photovoltaic Research for Innovative Space Modules (HYU-Caltech PRISM).’ Through this project, they will receive 3.3 billion KRW in research funding over five and a half years, from July 2026 to December 2031.
Professor Ko will serve as the domestic principal investigator (PI), while Caltech's Professor Harry Atwater (Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science) will act as the overseas PI. The two institutions plan to build a long-term joint research system by combining their respective expertise in next-generation solar cell materials and devices with space environment evaluation capabilities.
To secure the high-efficiency, ultra-lightweight, and highly stable solar power technology required for space, the team is developing next-generation tandem solar cells that combine perovskite and III-V group semiconductors. Perovskite solar cells have recently gained attention as next-generation space solar cell materials due to their high specific power, excellent radiation resistance, and process flexibility. By integrating these advantages of perovskite with the high efficiency and stability of III-V group solar cells, the team aims to overcome the performance and weight limitations of existing space solar cells while lowering production costs to create affordable next-generation models.
The Hanyang University team will develop device structures tailored for space environments based on high-performance perovskite solar cells, radiation-resistant materials, and tandem technology. In collaboration with Caltech, they will optimize solar cell performance, analyze stability in space environments, and conduct actual space demonstrations. Caltech will contribute its expertise in lightweighting III-V solar cells, radiation testing, and space environment evaluation to the joint research.
In particular, Professor Atwater, a world-renowned researcher in nanophotonics, photovoltaics, and next-generation energy conversion, has led the development of ultra-lightweight solar power and space wireless power transmission technologies through Caltech's Space Solar Power Project. He continues to lead the field of space photovoltaics, having conducted research in 2023 to verify core technologies for collecting solar energy and transmitting power wirelessly in an actual space environment.
Professor Ko's team, which has pioneered research on high-efficiency, high-stability, and ultra-lightweight perovskite solar cells, plans to expand its focus from terrestrial solar cells to next-generation energy devices viable in the extreme space environments.
Beyond simple research cooperation, this project is significant for establishing a sustainable international joint research hub between Hanyang University and Caltech. Both institutions will promote research personnel exchanges, foster next-generation researchers, and generate joint research outcomes, while expanding their cooperative network with domestic and international research institutes and industries.
Professor Ko stated, "This project allows us to combine Hanyang University's perovskite solar cell technology with Caltech's space solar research capabilities. Our goal is to secure high-performance solar cell technology applicable in actual space environments and, in the long term, develop into an international space energy research hub bridging Hanyang University and Caltech."
Meanwhile, HYU-Caltech PRISM aims to establish a research system spanning from materials and device development to space environment verification by 2031, securing core fundamental technologies applicable to future satellites and space solar power systems.
Source : NewsH(https://www.newshyu.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1025861)