Scientists have successfully tested solar panels 10 metres beneath the South China Sea, opening up new possibilities for powering underwater equipment.
The researchers developed solar cells using perovskite, a material that can be tailored to absorb the blue and green wavelengths of sunlight that penetrate seawater. During a two-hour test near China’s Weizhou Islands, the panels generated electricity at both two and 10 metres below the surface. Laboratory tests also showed little loss in performance after 1,160 hours of simulated underwater conditions, suggesting the panels could potentially operate for around five and a half years at 10 metres.
The amount of electricity produced underwater is still modest, but the technology could provide a valuable alternative to batteries for ocean sensors, cameras and communication equipment that are difficult or expensive to retrieve and recharge.
The research, published in Joule, goes considerably deeper than previous underwater solar studies, which generally focused on depths of two metres or less. The researchers’ next step is to test how much deeper the technology can operate.
