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Chinese Scientists Verify New Underwater Solar Cell Charges at 10 Meters Below Sea Surface
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Chinese scientists have made breakthrough progress in the field of new underwater solar cells. A paper published in the journal Joule on September 11 shows that Yunnan University, together with the Southwest United Graduate School, successfully demonstrated a functional underwater solar cell that can operate normally at a depth of 10 meters in the South China Sea, breaking the previous limit where underwater solar energy collection stopped at shallow waters of less than two meters.
For a long time, underwater solar energy collection attempts have been limited to shallow waters less than two meters deep, where sunlight is still abundant, but practical applications are rare. Study author Wen-Hua Zhang said that there are very few research reports on underwater solar cells, and all focus on extremely shallow waters of only two meters or less, which is far from meeting practical application needs. This research greatly expanded the operating depth to 10 meters below the sea surface, opening a new path for underwater energy supply.
According to the research team, this efficient wide-bandgap immersed solar cell can operate normally at a depth of 10 meters below the South China Sea surface. After two hours of underwater operation, it can generate 324 megawatt-hours of electricity, enough to charge lithium-ion batteries. If continuously placed in a 10-meter-deep water environment, its operational lifespan can reach about 5.5 years, demonstrating good long-term stability.
In terms of technical characteristics, the cell can absorb spectra from blue to orange light, adapting to the unique optical environment underwater. After storing the cell in a nitrogen-filled glove box for 300 days, its efficiency still retained about 96% of the initial value. In addition, after operating for 1,160 hours under simulated 10-meter water depth conditions, the cell showed almost no performance degradation, indicating its excellent durability underwater.
This achievement provides a new technical solution for underwater autonomous energy systems. Underwater equipment has long relied on cable power supply or regular battery replacement, which is costly and significantly limited. The new underwater solar cell is expected to provide continuous power support for marine monitoring equipment, underwater sensor networks, etc., reducing operation and maintenance costs and extending equipment deployment cycles.
Industry experts believe that this research fills the technical gap in deep-water solar energy utilization and provides new ideas for marine energy development. With further optimization of wide-bandgap perovskite materials, the efficiency and lifespan of underwater solar cells are expected to continue to improve, and in the future they may support a wider range of underwater operations and detection needs. The relevant results have attracted academic attention, and follow-up research is worth looking forward to.
