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Yunnan University team demonstrates underwater power supply for marine robots with durable perovskite modules
It has been demonstrated that perovskite solar cells, regarded as a next-generation photovoltaic technology, can operate normally at a depth of 10 m below the sea surface. Underwater solar cells have previously been shown to work in shallow waters at depths of around 2 m, but this is the first time they have been validated at a depth of 10 m.
A research team led by Professor Zhang Wenhua of the School of Materials and Energy at Yunnan University in China verified the performance of perovskite solar cells operating at a depth of 10 m and published the results on the 11th in the international journal Joule.
Solar cells are an eco-friendly energy source that supplies electricity on land. Underwater, however, the intensity of light decreases sharply and its wavelength distribution changes, making it difficult to use conventional solar cells. Marine equipment that relies on batteries, such as underwater sensors, underwater communication devices, and autonomous underwater robots, has had to be periodically retrieved for recharging.
Installing floating solar panels on the sea surface is one option, but they can be damaged by waves, typhoons, and ship collisions. This has increased demand for solar cells capable of operating at greater depths.
Focusing first on the fact that the brightness and color (wavelength) of sunlight change with depth, the team developed a simulation setup that reproduces underwater light conditions at different depths in the laboratory. They then designed perovskite solar cells that preferentially absorb blue to orange wavelengths, which can penetrate deeper into the water column.
As a result, the team’s solar cells exhibited durability with almost no performance degradation even after 1,160 hours under simulated 10 m depth conditions. Based on these results, the researchers estimated that the cells could operate continuously for about 5.5 years at a depth of 10 m.
The team also developed large-area solar cell modules, coupled them with an underwater robot, and carried out a field demonstration by deploying the system at a real depth of 10 m near Weizhou Island in the South China Sea. In this trial, the modules generated 324 mWh (milliwatt-hours) of energy over two hours, sufficient to charge a commercial lithium-ion battery.
“The system stably produced a large amount of electrical energy in just two hours in a real 10 m-depth environment,” the researchers said, adding, “By combining laboratory research with field demonstration, we have confirmed the commercialization potential of underwater solar power generation.”
In follow-up work, the team plans to test perovskite solar cells at greater depths to determine the maximum depth at which the cells can operate and to establish guidelines for validating underwater solar cells.
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doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2026.102672
