S-Energy Selected as Lead Organization for KRW 12.9 Billion National Offshore Solar Project

S-Energy is leading a government-driven offshore solar technology development project, taking the initiative to expand the next-generation renewable energy market.

On June 22, S-Energy announced that it has been selected as the lead organization for a new national project titled "Development and Demonstration of Offshore Environment High-Durability Solar Modules," which is being promoted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning. The total project budget is KRW 12.9 billion.

Through this project, S-Energy will begin developing high-durability solar modules that can be operated stably for a long period in extreme offshore environments, such as salt damage and strong winds. The goal is to develop high-efficiency solar modules with a lifespan of more than 30 years, which is expected to secure core technologies for the expansion of Korea's offshore solar industry in the future.

Korea has abundant potential areas for establishing solar power facilities utilizing inland seas and reclaimed lakes. However, technological limitations have persisted in actual facility application due to harsh natural conditions, including corrosion from salt in seawater, strong winds, and high waves.

This national project aims to address the durability issues of facilities, which have been considered the biggest challenge in expanding offshore solar power. S-Energy will form a consortium with 11 research institutes and universities to develop and demonstrate solar modules optimized for offshore environments by 2029.

The target product is a high-efficiency, high-durability solar module capable of stable operation for 30 years with a power generation efficiency of 24.3%. S-Energy plans to verify the technical performance through demonstration and secure a foundation that can be used to establish future national standards.

This technology development is also expected to be linked to the government’s "Saemangeum Renewable Energy Hub Construction (6GW capacity)" project. To build power generation complexes utilizing large water surfaces like the inland sea of Saemangeum, stable solar facilities that can withstand salt damage and weather changes over the long term are essential.

In particular, as initiatives such as the introduction of the "Sunlight Pension" system, which shares power generation revenues with local residents, are expected to accelerate the progress of renewable energy projects, the high-durability solar modules being developed are gaining attention as a key technology for expanding large-scale offshore solar projects in Saemangeum and throughout Korea.

Project lead Lee Sangkil stated, "This technology development is an important starting point for overcoming the complex offshore conditions of salt damage and strong winds. We will conduct thorough verification at the test complex to be established in the inland sea of Saemangeum and strive to ensure that the results can be applied to future large-scale solar projects."

He added, "We will also actively participate in proposing international standards and help elevate South Korea’s offshore solar technology competitiveness to the highest global level."

Through this national project, S-Energy plans to secure technological competitiveness in the offshore solar sector and lay the foundation for the expansion of large-scale renewable energy projects both domestically and internationally, including the construction of the Saemangeum Renewable Energy Hub.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.