Bai Haoliang, Lu Tonghui, Liu Wenzhuo, Li Xianglin, Lv Wenhao, Lv Song
School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Energy Power Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430063, China.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Apr 15;122(15):e2423651122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2423651122. Epub 2025 Apr 8.
Photovoltaic technology has emerged as a key candidate for powering underwater devices. However, traditional solar cells face limitations in real marine environments. Flexible solar cells offer new possibilities for underwater energy harvesting. This study identifies the optimal bandgap and depth for flexible underwater solar cells through detailed balance calculations and experiments. We also established an optical model for underwater flexible solar cells, determining the ideal curvature through outdoor testing. The flexible a-Si solar cell achieves an impressive maximum efficiency of 59.7% at 2 m, generating up to 15.9% more energy throughout the day compared to planar solar cells. Theoretical results surpass the fundamental limits of seabed solar collection, outperforming all existing underwater photovoltaic solutions. Building on this foundation, we demonstrated their all-day capabilities in powering unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) and LED light beacons. Furthermore, we explored the global power generation potential of flexible solar cells at typical depths, identifying the optimal operating ranges during different seasons and analyzing the power generation costs for typical water bodies. This study highlights the immense potential of flexible solar cells in advancing marine energy generation.
光伏技术已成为为水下设备供电的关键候选技术。然而，传统太阳能电池在实际海洋环境中面临局限性。柔性太阳能电池为水下能量采集提供了新的可能性。本研究通过详细的平衡计算和实验确定了柔性水下太阳能电池的最佳带隙和深度。我们还建立了水下柔性太阳能电池的光学模型，通过户外测试确定了理想曲率。柔性非晶硅太阳能电池在2米深处实现了令人印象深刻的59.7%的最大效率，与平面太阳能电池相比，全天发电量增加了15.9%。理论结果超越了海底太阳能收集的基本极限，优于所有现有的水下光伏解决方案。在此基础上，我们展示了它们为无人水下航行器（UUV）和LED灯塔供电的全天能力。此外，我们探索了柔性太阳能电池在典型深度的全球发电潜力，确定了不同季节的最佳运行范围，并分析了典型水体的发电成本。这项研究突出了柔性太阳能电池在推进海洋能源发电方面的巨大潜力。
