Researchers have set a new record for harvesting energy from indoor light using next-generation perovskite solar cells.
A team led by scientists at University College London (UCL) say the breakthrough could lead to a battery-free future where devices like remote controls and headphones are powered solely by ambient light.
Perovskite has been hailed for its potential to revolutionise renewable energy due to its remarkable properties, which allow it to convert light into electricity far more efficiently than conventional silicon solar cells.
Perovskite solar cells are also low-cost and can be produced easily, however the presence of high density traps can disrupt the flow of charge and cause energy to be lost as heat.
By introducing the chemical rubidium chloride, the UCL researchers were able to reduce the density of these traps and break the world record for harvesting indoor light.
Tests of the new solar cells found that they could convert 37.6 per cent of indoor light into electricity, while also retaining more than 90 per cent of their performance after 100 days.
“Currently, solar cells capturing energy from indoor light are expensive and inefficient,” said Dr Mojtaba Abdi Jalebi, an associate professor at the UCL Institute for Materials Discovery.
“Our specially engineered perovskite indoor solar cells can harvest much more energy than commercial cells and is more durable than other prototypes.”
Indoor solar cells have existed for decades, with calculator featuring the tech since as early as the 1970s.
Nowadays, companies use dye-sensitised solar cells to power electronics from light sources ranging from sunlight to candlelight.
One of the world’s largest producers is Stockholm-based Exeger, whose Powerfoyle solar cells are flexible and durable enough to be embedded in bike helmets, leather bags and Bluetooth speakers.
The skin-like material is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, however it does not offer the same efficiency levels that UCL produced with perovskite in the lab.
The UCL researchers are currently exploring ways to commercialise the technology with various industry partners.
The breakthrough was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, in a study titled ‘Enhancing Indoor Photovoltaic Efficiency to 37.6% Through Triple Passivation Reassembly and n-Type to p-Type Modulation in Wide Bandgap Perovskites’.
