Paving the way for photovoltaic panels inside buildings

One day, it might be possible to use solar panels inside buildings to power various connected devices, for example. — AFP Relaxnews

Researchers in China are working on indoor photovoltaic panels, capable of converting energy collected from light emitted by commonly used indoor light sources into electricity. This technological advance could serve to power various connected devices, for example.

At the moment, photovoltaic panels only work with solar energy, and therefore outdoors, and often with quite low yields. On average, they can generally convert just 5 to 20% of the energy collected into electricity. A new record of 32.5% has just been set, albeit in a laboratory setting.