Therefore, the fabrication of specially designed solar cells for indoor applications is not an easy task. Different parameters of solar cells must be optimized for indoor light conditions. The device should be designed in such a manner that it can operate efficiently under the illumination of the most commonly used indoor light sources.
Drawing on both shaded natural light and artificial light, such as LEDs and halogen bulbs, low-light solar cells are able to turn any light source into power. This allows the embedded cells to continually recharge devices without the need to plug them in.
Again, the answer is yes – but here’s a quick recap of why and how. Solar panels and chargers work best indoors when placed in a window in full view of the sun. However, they may also produce electricity when exposed to the light that is emitted by interior lights.
IPVs thereby become a growing research field, where various types of PV technologies including dye-sensitized solar cells (14, 15), organic photovoltaics (16, 17), and lead-halide perovskite solar cells (18 – 20) have been explored for IPVs measured under indoor light sources including LEDs and FLs. Fig. 1. Analysis of Se for indoor photovoltaics.
Solar panels are made for outdoor use, but they can work if set up near a window. They can also work under indoor lights, but that’s not efficient at all – or useful. However, some sources of indoor lighting have a similar spectrum to that of the sun, making it possible to power solar panels inside.
In this study, we performed a detailed review of the development of various solar cells for indoor applications. It is thus observed that although ISCs are dominating the outdoor solar cell market, they are not suitable for use as indoor light-harvesting units because of their low bandgap energy and poor mechanical flexibility.