South Korea

TotalEnergies says it has signed a 15-year deal with RWE to buy 30,000 tons of green hydrogen per year from a 300 MW electrolyzer in Germany, while Plug Power has announced a partnership with Southwire to create a clean hydrogen ecosystem in Texas.

Hyundai Motor says it plans to build its first hydrogen fuel cell systems plant in South Korea by 2028, pending union consultations, expanding beyond its existing facility in China.

The industry will reach the 1 TWh demand milestone in 2024, with China producing more than three-quarters of the batteries sold globally. The concentration of the production chain in the country has led to a fall in costs and a possible technological shift with the focus on LFP batteries. Cooperation between countries can be strategic to diversify the battery production chain and create sustained demand, assesses the International Energy Agency.

Scientists have compared conventional PV modules to self-made BIPV panels with thicker, patterned glass. They tested them both under standard conditions and outdoors under Korean summer conditions. Yield was found to be only 0.5% lower in the textured BIPV module.

Qcells has launched an intellectual property (IP) dispute over alleged unauthorized use of its patented laser-enhanced contact opening (LECO) tech in tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cells. The case underscores rising tensions in the PV industry over TOPCon patents.

South Korea installed 2.5 GW of new solar capacity in 2024, bringing its cumulative PV capacity to more than 29.5 GW, according to the Korean Energy Agency.

The Chinese government says it will review 2014 anti-dumping duties on US and South Korean polysilicon imports, and will maintain them during its investigation, which was requested by 13 Chinese manufacturers.

Scientists in Korea have fabricated a solar-powered charging device that can reportedly achieve a power density of 2,555.6 W kg and an energy efficiency of 63%. The system uses nickel-based compounds to enhance the electrochemical performance of its electrodes.

An international team has combined organic synthesis with predictive models to discover new functional materials that enhance performance of hole transport layers used in perovskite solar cells. The team asserts that optimizing for other solar cell properties is possible with the platform, as well as using it for development of materials for other kinds of devices.

The Korean manufacturer said its new products are now available in the North American market and are suitable for multi-unit homes, apartments, new-builds and retrofits. The systems work with new AI technology and reportedly perform better when connected to a PV system.