Konica Minolta's research proposal was selected under Miyagi Prefecture's research and development proposal program, and the company will proceed with developing methods to predict degradation in the power generation efficiency of silicon-based solar cells and establish reuse metrics by measuring hazardous substances using hyperspectral imaging. Date: 14 October 2026.
Konica Minolta's research proposal submitted in response to Miyagi Prefecture's call for proposals for environment-related research and development has been selected. The research aims to develop inspection technology for silicon-based solar cells and establish evaluation criteria for their reusability.
The proposed research will use hyperspectral imaging (HSI) to estimate the degree of age-related degradation in solar cells and measure the content of hazardous substances in the glass to determine whether the cells can be reused.
The selected theme is "Building a silicon solar cell ecosystem." It aims to address disposal risks associated with the spread of renewable energy and promote resource circulation.
The measurement technology obtained through HSI is expected to leverage the company's technology for measuring material properties across a broad range of wavelengths, with the potential to contribute to the realization of a circular society.
As background, Konica Minolta has strengthened its HSI technology through the acquisition of Specim and is expanding its applications in inspection.