According to EnergyTrend, Zhonghuan New Energy issued an announcement on May 19. Its indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary, Zhonghuan Low-Carbon New Energy (Anhui) Group Co., Ltd. (Zhonghuan Low-Carbon), plans to sign a cooperation agreement on R&D and pilot production of space photovoltaic products with Suzhou Heimian Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd. (Suzhou Heimian).
Pursuant to the agreement, the two parties will set up a joint venture as the carrier for the cooperation project. In collaboration with Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, they will jointly develop perovskite/silicon tandem photovoltaic cell technologies for space applications, so as to advance technological research, pilot verification and subsequent industrialization of space photovoltaic products.
The announcement shows that the registered capital of the joint venture is RMB 5 million. Zhonghuan Low-Carbon holds a 55% equity stake while Suzhou Heimian holds 45%, and the project is scheduled to last two years.
All contracting parties shall establish the joint venture within six months after signing the agreement. Tentatively named Zhonghuan Heimian Space Photovoltaic Technology Co., Ltd., it will engage in R&D, production, sales and technical services related to space photovoltaic cells, subject to approval by relevant competent authorities.
The cooperation features clear division of labor and layout, covering four core aspects:
- jointly developing core technologies of perovskite/silicon tandem cells with Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics;
- building pilot production lines to conduct pilot verification on large-size cells;
- establishing testing and evaluation systems for space environment adaptability;
- launching the joint venture to drive technological industrialization and commercial operation.
Zhonghuan Low-Carbon will be responsible for the R&D, production and supply of silicon heterojunction bottom cells, provide application scenario requirements and technical parameters for aerospace photovoltaic cells, participate in the pilot process of large-size tandem cells for integrated system testing, and contribute capital to the joint venture.
As the main body for pilot-scale R&D, Suzhou Heimian will develop preparation processes for large-size tandem cells, optimize mass-production processes and conduct performance tests to verify production consistency. It will coordinate with Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics to realize effective integration of industry, academia and research, and make capital contributions to the joint venture via transferring patented technologies related to space photovoltaics.
Having established in-depth industry-university-research cooperation with Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Suzhou Heimian will mainly coordinate with the university to research and develop preparation technologies for top-layer perovskite cells and optimize tandem structures. It will lead the formulation of the overall technical roadmap, conduct research on stability mechanisms, and complete the R&D and performance verification of lab-scale small-size tandem cells.
This cross-industry joint R&D is expected to mark the accelerated penetration of high-efficiency tandem photovoltaic cells into the aerospace application field.
Source：EnergyTrend
