South Korea and Kuwait are expected to expand cooperation on renewable energy, the government said Friday.

Deputy Minister for Trade Kim Yong-rae, who accompanied Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon on his visit to Kuwait, visited a test complex for layered solar power generation, which is operated by a joint consortium of the two nations on Thursday. 



The complex located within Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water has been jointly run by the ministry and Korea’s Kepco Engineering & Construction since March of last year.

The layered solar power generation is a way of laminating solar power modules to increase power generation by 20 percent from conventional generators. Kepco E&C has a patent for the technology and has filed for a patent with Gulf Cooperation Council nations, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Deputy Minister Kim met with Vice Minister of Electricity and Water Fuad D. A. Al-Aon to discuss cooperation in energy and new renewable energy sectors. The two nations also agreed to hold a joint conference on improving energy efficiency and new renewable energy soon. 

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)