Underwater solar panels generate power

October 02, 2026

Scientists in China have successfully tested a new type of solar panel capable of producing electricity 10 metres beneath the surface of the South China Sea, opening new possibilities for powering underwater technology.

The experimental panels use perovskite solar cells engineered to capture the wavelengths of sunlight that penetrate seawater most effectively. Researchers believe the technology could eventually provide a long-term renewable energy source for ocean sensors, cameras, communication systems and other submerged equipment that currently depends heavily on batteries.

During a two-hour field test near the Weizhou Islands off southern China, the panels successfully generated electricity at depths of up to 10 metres. Laboratory experiments also indicate that the technology could remain operational underwater for several years.

Published in the scientific journal Joule, the study significantly extends previous research into underwater photovoltaics, which has generally focused on depths of around two metres or less.

How can solar panels produce electricity underwater?

Generating solar electricity beneath the ocean presents a major challenge because water rapidly absorbs and scatters sunlight.

At a depth of 10 metres, a large proportion of incoming solar radiation has already disappeared. However, different wavelengths behave differently underwater, with blue and green light able to penetrate considerably deeper than much of the rest of the visible spectrum.

Researchers designed their solar cells specifically to take advantage of these remaining wavelengths.

Instead of conventional silicon, the team used perovskite materials. One important advantage of perovskite solar cells is that their properties can be adjusted to absorb particular parts of the light spectrum, making them potentially well suited to underwater environments.

In laboratory conditions designed to reproduce sunlight at a depth of 10 metres, the cells converted approximately 35 per cent of the available light reaching them into electricity.

Tests in the South China sea show promising results

The researchers then scaled up their technology and tested larger panels in real marine conditions.

At a depth of two metres, solar panels covering 115 square centimetres produced 1,416 milliwatt-hours of electricity during a two-hour test. That is roughly equivalent to half the energy capacity of a typical rechargeable AA battery.

When lowered to 10 metres, the same system generated 324 milliwatt-hours over two hours. Although the amount of electricity was relatively small, the results demonstrated that meaningful solar generation is possible much deeper underwater than previously shown.

Durability tests were also encouraging. The panels experienced almost no decline in performance after 1,160 hours under simulated underwater conditions.

Based on these results, the researchers estimate that the solar cells could potentially operate continuously at a depth of 10 metres for approximately five and a half years.

Study author Wen-Hua Zhang, from Yunnan University and Southwest United Graduate School in Kunming, said the research provides the first practical demonstration of submerged solar cells functioning at depths approaching 10 metres, substantially expanding their potential applications.

Solar energy Is moving beyond traditional locations

Solar technology is increasingly being adapted for environments far beyond conventional rooftops and large solar farms.

In Kenya, researchers have developed a solar-powered ambulance intended to improve access to healthcare in remote communities where reliable electricity and fuel supplies can be difficult to obtain.

Solar power is also being deployed in isolated Arctic locations. In Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, photovoltaic panels are helping supply electricity to a remote former radio station that previously depended on diesel generators and can only be reached by boat or helicopter.

Other projects are integrating renewable energy into existing infrastructure. Switzerland, for example, has tested removable solar panels installed between railway tracks, allowing rail networks to generate electricity without requiring additional land.

Underwater solar technology could address another important energy challenge: supplying electricity to equipment operating beneath the ocean.

Underwater solar could power ocean sensors and cameras

Marine research increasingly relies on sensors, cameras, monitoring devices and communication systems positioned far from conventional electricity supplies.

Many of these devices currently run on batteries. Once their stored energy is depleted, equipment may need to be recovered, serviced and redeployed — a process that can be expensive and difficult, particularly in remote waters.

Submerged solar panels could potentially extend operating periods by continuously generating renewable electricity underwater.

The technology could eventually support environmental monitoring stations, marine research equipment, underwater communication networks and other low-power devices operating relatively close to the ocean surface.

However, significant research remains before underwater solar becomes commercially practical.

The scientists now plan to test how the technology performs at greater depths, where available sunlight becomes progressively weaker. Their next experiments could help establish the practical depth limit for solar electricity generation beneath the sea.

If successful, underwater photovoltaics could create an entirely new application for solar energy — providing clean, continuous power to technologies operating beneath the world's oceans.