Chinese scientists test world’s first submarine solar farm at 10 metres PHOTO

Chinese scientists have built and tested what they describe as the world’s first submarine solar farm, demonstrating that perovskite solar cells can generate electricity at a depth of 10 metres in the open sea.

The team from Yunnan University, whose findings were published in Joule on September 11, used lead-halide perovskite cells designed to capture the blue-green light that remains underwater, the South China Morning Post reports. 

At a depth of 10 metres, only about 10% of sunlight reaches the water, while red light, which conventional silicon solar cells use most effectively, is largely absorbed.

During testing, the submerged system charged batteries and powered an LED panel, demonstrating its potential for supplying energy to underwater operations.

A small cell achieved a power conversion efficiency of 34.71% in laboratory tests simulating conditions at 10 metres, while a larger module reached 29.40%.

The researchers also developed multilayer protection using butyl rubber, cover glass and transparent epoxy resin to shield the cells from seawater, pressure and corrosion.

“Previous underwater solar cells focused on very shallow water depths of only 2 metres or less, far from practical applications,” said Wen-Hua Zhang of Yunnan University. “This work presents the first functional validation of submerged solar cells practically operating at a water depth of up to about 10 metres.”

By Sabina Mammadli