Investigation of Silicon Solar Cells under Submerged Conditions with the Influence of Various Parameters: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Solar photovoltaic (PV) is one of the emerging technologies in underwater power systems such as water monitoring and sensing devices in marine environments. Harnessing the underwater solar energy is a massive advantage because of the abundant amount of solar energy and space covered by water on the surface of the Earth. Currently, the utilization of underwater solar PV systems has several issues such as cooling, cleaning, and land constraints facing in terrestrial conditions. Still, the PV systems has the ability to operate in underwater environments and to interface with other marine power systems in a hybrid manner. Therefore, there is a need to further study and understand the utility of solar PV in underwater conditions. Herein, a comparative analysis on underwater solar radiation and the performance of various silicon solar cells using different water conditions, in a controlled indoor atmosphere, are carried out. The propagation of solar radiation underwater is investigated as a function of water depths and changing water settings such as in the presence of dissolved salts and solids. This work demonstrates that the solar energy in water can also be extracted with solar PV cells to produce electricity for several industrial, defense, naval, and marine applications.