Abstract
With the advent of the Internet of Things, energy- and bandwidth-related issues are becoming increasingly prominent in the context of supporting the massive connectivity of various smart devices. To this end, we propose that solar cells with the dual functions of energy harvesting and signal acquisition are critical for alleviating energy-related issues and enabling optical wireless communication (OWC) across the satellite–air–ground–ocean (SAGO) boundaries. Moreover, we present the first comprehensive survey on solar cell-based OWC technology. First, the historical evolution of this technology is summarized, from its beginnings to recent advances, to provide the relative merits of a variety of solar cells for simultaneous energy harvesting and OWC in different application scenarios. Second, the performance metrics, circuit design, and architectural design for energy-autonomous solar cell receivers are provided to help understand the basic principles of this technology. Finally, with a view to its future application to SAGO communication networks, we note the challenges and future trends of research related to this technology in terms of channel characterization, light source development, photodetector development, modulation and multiplexing techniques, and network implementations.
Highlights
With technological advancements in recent decades, renewable solar power has been developed to be integrated into general domestic housing and utility power systems
In terms of the receiver, recent studies have shown that the off-the-shelf solar cells widely used for energy harvesting in satellites, buildings, and streetlights have significant application prospects in Free space optical communication (FSO) for simultaneous signal acquisition [2], where this can help resolve energy-related issues
We propose that solar cells are critical for resolving power- and communication-related issues in urban areas, rural areas, deserts, and oceans while enabling optical wireless communication (OWC) across satellite–air– ground–ocean (SAGO) boundaries in 5G networks and beyond
Summary
With technological advancements in recent decades, renewable solar power has been developed to be integrated into general domestic housing and utility power systems. Compared with commonly used detectors, e.g., PIN diodes, avalanche photodiodes (APDs), and photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), solar cells are more energy efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost effective This is because they can power user terminals (e.g., UAVs, autonomous vehicles, and various smart devices) by converting sunlight or laser light into electricity, and can convert optical signals into electrical signals based on the photovoltaic effect without any external driving power. With their attractive capabilities for simultaneous energy harvesting and signal detection, solar cells, which have been widely used in the solar energy infrastructure and various emerging newenergy devices, can play a vital role in future self-powered Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems
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