Underwater Solar Panels Prove Possible with New Perovskite Cells
Chinese researchers have developed a new kind of solar cell that works well up to 10 meters underwater. Using a modified perovskite cell resistant to water corrosion, the underwater panels convert a sizeable amount of the limited light into electricity, raising the potential for future underwater devices and systems that would otherwise require power from more conventional, less localized sources.
Traditional solar panels are very ineffective underwater. The attenuation effect of water on sunlight means that the further down you go, the less solar energy there is to capture. However, this international team of researchers found that using wide-bandgap lead halide perovskite solar cells tuned to the underwater light spectrum could dramatically improve efficiency.
Credit: Study authors via Cell.com
In lab testing under ideal conditions, researchers achieved up to 35% efficiency, even when submerged under 10 meters of water. The light that can actually be captured at that depth is...
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