Lotte Engineering & Construction has developed a long-lifespan building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) power generation system with a 50-year lifespan, more than double the existing BIPV module lifespan, and applied it to a youth residential housing project in the Seochō-dong station area of Seoul, setting new standards for the zero-energy building market.

On the 16th, Lotte Engineering & Construction announced that it has developed a long-lifespan building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) module with a 50-year lifespan, more than double the existing approximately 20-year lifespan of conventional BIPV modules, and successfully applied it to a youth residential housing construction site in Seochō-dong station area in Seoul. This innovation is expected to serve as a breakthrough moment that can maximize building energy efficiency in an era of mandatory zero-energy buildings and significantly reduce residents' long-term energy costs.

The nearly semi-permanent 50-year lifespan is an achievement that surpasses the limitations of existing solar modules. This allows residents to completely free themselves from the burden of expensive module replacement and complex maintenance costs over decades, ensuring practical housing cost savings and stable energy supply. It is evaluated as a core technology enabling sustainable energy independence throughout the building's lifecycle.

This long-lifespan BIPV module was jointly developed by Lotte Engineering & Construction and Epscore, a renewable energy specialist company, as part of a national project promoted by the Korea Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) under the Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment. Development through national projects enhances the credibility and reliability of the technology.

[Photo=Yonhapnews]

In particular, Lotte Engineering & Construction has also achieved innovation in construction and maintenance convenience. A specialized construction method co-developed with Lotte Ecowall and patented enables module construction with only fixed brackets, without complicated support frames. This simplifies the construction process and significantly improves safety when working on high-rise buildings. Additionally, when problems occur, only specific modules can be easily and quickly separated and replaced without replacing the entire module, maximizing maintenance convenience and reducing work time and costs.

This innovative BIPV module has been practically applied to the youth residential housing construction site in Seochō-dong station area in Seoul, proving the technology's practical value and immediate effects. This housing is evaluated as a standard for future zero-energy buildings.

An official at Lotte Engineering & Construction emphasized that "we will continue to research, develop, and implement technologies that allow residents to directly experience benefits in the context of mandatory zero-energy building regulations." This demonstrates Lotte Engineering & Construction's strong commitment to implementing sustainable eco-friendly building technologies centered on residents.

Lotte Engineering & Construction's commercialization of this long-lifespan BIPV system is expected to play a key role in maximizing building energy efficiency and dramatically improving residents' quality of life in an era of mandatory zero-energy buildings. The advancement of eco-friendly building technology is evaluated as an important case contributing to sustainable urban environment construction and demonstrating the technological leadership of the domestic construction industry, while setting a new direction for the future building market.