27th opened ‘Daekyeong Solar Cell/Module Material Process Regional Innovation Center'
Nation's only 'Solar Energy Specializing' RIC,
investing 16.6 billion won over next 10 years
Contributing to establishment of 'East Coast Energy Cluster’
[October 24, 2008]
Yeungnam University starts 'establishment of solar energy industry complex'.
Yeungnam University (president Tong-ki Woo) was selected by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy as a Regional Innovation Center (hereinafter called RIC) in June and on the 27th, an opening ceremony for the 'Daekyeong Solar Cell/Module Materials and Process RIC' will be held on the 2nd floor international conference center of the Gyeongbuk Techno Park.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Gyeongsangbuk-do province, city of Daegu, Gyeongbuk TP, Daegu Gyeongbuk Science Technology Center and The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning will participate in this event, which is expected to be an opportunity to accelerate promotion of the regional solar energy industry. Professor Jung Jae-hak (46, School of Display and Chemical Engineering), RIC center director is expected to present a new growth force for the region in preparation of the 'anti-fossil fuel era' through presentations on 'the trends and development plans of the regional solar cell industry'.
Yeungnam University is planning to invest a total of 16.6 billion won including 7 billion in national treasury funds for the next 10 years in the only RIC specializing in the solar energy sector. There will also be plans to pursue industry-academic projects linking Gyeongbuk Techno Park, Pohang Techno Park and Yeungnam University Venture Business Support Center such as venture business support program operations, solar energy project equipment establishment and service support, key technology demand investigation, R&D support and 'double majors' in college for fostering expert manpower, reeducation of corporate employees, international standard and certification procedure education, product certification support, etc. The strategy is to use this in order to establish an industrial complex related to solar cell/modules integrating 15 main companies and 60 cooperative companies within a 20km radius and to become international competitiveness by merging with IT technology of Gumi. There are also plans to benchmark leading solar energy research centers such as the US FSEC (Florida Solar Energy Center).
On this, Professor Jung stated, "There is a dire need to develop alternate energy and foster related industries to overcome the crisis with the rising oil prices. Yeungnam University will not simply focus on research functions, but also contribute in fostering global solar energy companies by providing practical help in corporate activities." He also added, "We hope to contribute in establishing the 'East Coast Energy Cluster' such as distributing 100,000 solar powered homes through cooperation with Gyeongsangbuk-do."
Meanwhile, Professor Jung has lead the 'Yeungnam University Research Institute of Solar Energy', which is the largest solar energy research institute among domestic universities, for the past several years. He is one of few experts of solar energy in the region that has taken the initiative in distributing Korean-style solar energy and promoting the solar energy industry by successfully supplying environment-friendly electricity and hot water using a 10kW solar energy generator together with 30 other researchers.
