Chinese researchers have tested the world’s first underwater solar power plant operating in open sea conditions at a depth of 10 meters.
Sea-news.az reports citing the “South China Morning Post,” that the new system promises broad prospects for powering underwater operations.
According to the report, the power plant was developed by specialists from Yunnan University. The scientists utilized a photovoltaic system operating at a depth of 10 meters based on perovskite-structured lead halides belonging to the class of semiconductor materials.
Per the publication’s information, the submerged device charged batteries and powered an LED panel, demonstrating that solar energy can be harvested even in the ocean’s murky blue-green environment.
“Previous versions of underwater solar cells were designed only for very shallow depths, a maximum of 2 meters, which is far from real operating conditions. In this presented project, the ability of solar cells to work at a depth of up to 10 meters and under real conditions is demonstrated for the first time,” the newspaper quoted Yunnan University scientist Wenhua Zhang as saying.
The technology’s creators believe this invention could be used in the future to power underwater sensors, detectors, cameras, communication systems, as well as underwater robots and other apparatuses.
