Lotte Construction Installs Solar Power System to Pilot Zero-Energy Building

Building-Integrated Photovoltaic System (BIPV)
Vanadium Ion Battery Energy Storage System (ESS)
Pilot Installation of Linked Facilities at Headquarters Building

Lotte Construction announced on the 16th that it is conducting performance evaluations by pilot-installing a solar power generation system at its headquarters building to respond to the mandatory zero-energy building certification that will be enforced from next year.

‘GtoS BIPV’ (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics using glass and steel plates) installed at the headquarters of Lotte Construction. Provided by Lotte Construction.

Lotte Construction has pilot-installed a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system and a Vanadium Ion Battery Energy Storage System (VIB ESS) that stores the generated energy at its headquarters in Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and is conducting joint research with Lotte Chemical, Epscore, Standard Energy, and others.

The Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system, when installed on the exterior walls of buildings, simultaneously performs power generation and acts as an architectural exterior material. Since it does not require a separate installation area, it is highly applicable to urban buildings with limited construction space.

Lotte Construction is promoting research with Epscore, a specialized solar module company, to secure the durability of solar modules and improve construction efficiency. In the BIPV system, the solar modules were installed using the GtoS (Glass to Steel) bonding method. Unlike the general solar module GtoG (Glass to Glass: double-sided glass bonding) method, the front is made of glass and the back is made of steel plate to reduce weight.

Since solar film materials are prone to discoloration and corrosion due to moisture penetration, a durable POE (Polyolefin Elastomer) was used. Lotte Construction is collaborating with Lotte Chemical’s Basic Chemical Research Institute to simultaneously conduct analysis and optimization studies on the characteristics of POE raw materials to improve the efficiency of the BIPV bonding process.

The Vanadium Ion Battery Energy Storage System (VIB ESS) has been jointly researched with Standard Energy, a battery specialist company. Vanadium ion batteries use water-based electrolytes, fundamentally eliminating fire risks, and have a long battery life and high charging efficiency. The energy tile, designed by making the vanadium ion battery in tile form so it can be attached indoors, was also included in this demonstration.

A representative from Lotte Construction’s Technology Research Institute stated, "Through this technology development and facility construction, we plan to secure energy production and storage technologies that can be stably applied to buildings," adding, "We will play a leading role in realizing zero-energy buildings through comprehensive evaluations linked to performance monitoring and related measures."