China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10-metre depth in the open sea

In a breakthrough that could power the future of underwater operations, Chinese scientists have built and tested the world’s first submarine solar farm, successfully operating a perovskite-based photovoltaic system at a depth of 10 metres (33 feet) in the open sea.

The submerged array charged batteries and powered an LED panel, proving that solar energy can be harvested even in the dim, blue-green twilight of the ocean.

The achievement by a team from Yunnan University was published on September 11 in the journal Joule.

The feat overcomes a long-standing barrier: sunlight fades rapidly underwater, and conventional silicon solar cells are ill-suited to the narrow spectrum that remains.

At 10 metres below the surface, only about 10 per cent of sunlight penetrates. And red light, where silicon cells perform best, is almost entirely absorbed.