Japan’s Idemitsu sets up U.S. lab for space-grade CIGS solar cells

Japanese energy company Idemitsu Kosan has opened a research lab at the University of California, Santa Barbara to develop solar cells built for spacecraft, not homes. The cells use a technology called CIGS (copper indium gallium-selenide), a thin-film solar material different from the silicon panels typically installed on rooftops. Idemitsu says this is the first lab of its kind and will let it test and refine these space-grade cells based on U.S. market needs, feeding what it learns back into product development in Japan.

The company is also building a smaller-scale manufacturing plant in Japan, aiming to work out mass-production methods by 2027, before deciding whether to scale up to full commercial production. This effort builds on a deal Idemitsu struck last year with U.S.-based Source Energy Company to make CIGS solar modules for satellites, which the company says hold up well against radiation, weigh less, and keep performing steadily, potentially letting satellites use smaller solar arrays. Idemitsu has worked with this thin-film technology for years; it became the largest shareholder in Solar Frontier, a Japanese CIS module maker, back in 2019.

None of this involves residential solar equipment or upgrades. It is aimed at the satellite and space industry, and there is no indication yet that this cell technology is headed toward home solar installations or rebate programs. For homeowners tracking solar options, standard rooftop panels remain the relevant technology for now.