Shinsung E&G Joins 12.9 Billion-Won Government Project for Offshore Solar Modules

Shinsung E&G has been selected as a participating organization in a government-backed project to develop solar modules for offshore applications, the company said on June 22.

The project, titled “Development and Demonstration of High-Durability Solar Modules for Marine Environments,” aims to develop highly durable offshore solar modules, conduct demonstration projects in the Saemangeum inner sea area, and obtain Korean Industrial Standards (KS) certification. The program will run for 36 months from April 2026 through March 2029. Total project funding amounts to 12.9 billion won, consisting of 9 billion won in government support and approximately 3.9 billion won in private-sector contributions.

The project is overseen by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and involves a consortium of 12 organizations from industry, academia and research institutes. Shinsung E&G will be responsible for process technology development, translating the achievements of partner organizations in materials and components into commercial solar modules.

Through the project, Shinsung E&G plans to help accelerate the commercialization of the offshore solar power market. The company noted that South Korea’s inland coastal waters and reclaimed lakes are estimated to have renewable energy installation potential of approximately 10.2 gigawatts (GW). However, deployment has remained limited due to the lack of proven offshore solar module technologies.

In addition to the offshore solar initiative, Shinsung E&G is participating in two other government-funded projects. These include the development of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based lifecycle management system for solar module recycling and reuse, and the development of module manufacturing technologies incorporating low-temperature processes and zero-busbar cells.

The solar module lifecycle management project involves embedding radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags into modules and using AI to track installation, maintenance and other lifecycle data. The company said the technology will improve solar module recycling efficiency.

The low-temperature process project focuses on module technologies for perovskite tandem crystalline solar cells, a next-generation photovoltaic technology. Because perovskite tandem cells are sensitive to heat, low-temperature assembly processes are essential. The zero-busbar technology replaces the thick silver busbars typically found on solar panel surfaces with finer conductive structures, reducing costs while improving power-generation efficiency.

“Current R&D projects are designed to prepare for markets that will emerge in three to five years,” Shinsung E&G said. “In line with government initiatives such as 100GW renewable energy deployment, carbon neutrality and circular utilization of end-of-life solar modules, we aim to present a roadmap for the future direction of the solar industry.”

Shinsung E&G entered the solar cell business in 2008 and has accumulated nearly two decades of experience across solar modules, engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) services for solar power plants, and integrated solutions supporting Renewable Energy 100 (RE100) initiatives.

More recently, the company has expanded its product lineup to include building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), colored façade solar modules marketed as “Solar Skin,” agrivoltaic systems, and modules designed for marine environments, targeting a range of installation conditions and customer requirements.