Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems

KAY, AUSTIN; AHMED, SHIMRA; Burridge, Nicholas; Riley, Drew; Armin, Ardalan; Sandberg, Oskar J; Haymoor, Zaid; Carnie, Matt; Meredith, Paul; Burwell, Gregory

doi:10.1088/2515-7655/ade38b

Journal article 557 views 237 downloads

Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems

AUSTIN KAY, SHIMRA AHMED, Nicholas Burridge, Drew Riley

, Ardalan Armin, Oskar J Sandberg

, Zaid Haymoor, Matt Carnie

, Paul Meredith

, Gregory Burwell

Journal of Physics: Energy, Volume: 7, Issue: 3, Start page: 035019

Swansea University Authors: AUSTIN KAY, SHIMRA AHMED, Nicholas Burridge, Drew Riley , Ardalan Armin, Zaid Haymoor, Matt Carnie , Paul Meredith , Gregory Burwell

PDF | Version of Record

© 2025 The Author(s). Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Download (2.75MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1088/2515-7655/ade38b

Abstract

By harvesting low-intensity ambient light, indoor photovoltaics (PVs) could soon power countless internet-of-things (IoT) devices and sensors. However, indoor illumination conditions vary from room to room and even hour to hour, leading to inconsistent PV power generation. To overcome this, energy-h...

Full description

Published in:	Journal of Physics: Energy
ISSN:	2515-7655
Published:	IOP Publishing 2025
Online Access:	Check full text
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69827

first_indexed	2025-06-26T14:50:11Z
last_indexed	2025-06-27T09:32:44Z
id	cronfa69827
recordtype	SURis
fullrecord	<?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-06-26T15:56:08.0471830</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>69827</id><entry>2025-06-26</entry><title>Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>3e6bba5f494384d1fe09c3c3315925e6</sid><firstname>AUSTIN</firstname><surname>KAY</surname><name>AUSTIN KAY</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>c54ff2cc1ffa80623f3978cac3f5f1f7</sid><firstname>SHIMRA</firstname><surname>AHMED</surname><name>SHIMRA AHMED</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>1873cb3e3b5b137640ce5995586c8723</sid><firstname>Nicholas</firstname><surname>Burridge</surname><name>Nicholas Burridge</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a</sid><ORCID>0000-0001-6688-0694</ORCID><firstname>Drew</firstname><surname>Riley</surname><name>Drew Riley</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>22b270622d739d81e131bec7a819e2fd</sid><firstname>Ardalan</firstname><surname>Armin</surname><name>Ardalan Armin</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>46cfd102408d92d8cae350b4e4e0313d</sid><firstname>Zaid</firstname><surname>Haymoor</surname><name>Zaid Haymoor</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>73b367694366a646b90bb15db32bb8c0</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-4232-1967</ORCID><firstname>Matt</firstname><surname>Carnie</surname><name>Matt Carnie</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-9049-7414</ORCID><firstname>Paul</firstname><surname>Meredith</surname><name>Paul Meredith</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-2534-9626</ORCID><firstname>Gregory</firstname><surname>Burwell</surname><name>Gregory Burwell</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-06-26</date><abstract>By harvesting low-intensity ambient light, indoor photovoltaics (PVs) could soon power countless internet-of-things (IoT) devices and sensors. However, indoor illumination conditions vary from room to room and even hour to hour, leading to inconsistent PV power generation. To overcome this, energy-harvesting circuitry can be used alongside indoor PV modules to recharge batteries or capacitors, forming energy-harvesting systems that enable consistent discharge into IoT devices. The optimisation of such systems is a topic of intense research. In this work, we use thermodynamic principles to model power generation in indoor PV modules based on inorganic, perovskite, and organic semiconductors, before evaluating the efficiency of the whole energy-harvesting system. In these investigations, we account for detailed device physics, including sub-gap absorption, band-filling effects, point defects, and parasitic resistances, while also considering performance under several different light sources. Ultimately, we find that the maximum power point voltage ( Vmpp) is pivotal in determining the optimal number of cells for an indoor PV module. Despite some PV materials having a lower Vmpp due to narrower bandgaps or increased voltage losses, we find that this can be compensated for by increasing the number of cells; though too many cells can actually lead to inefficient energy harvesting. As a final case study, we evaluate the power generated and stored in a typical day (where an interplay between daylight and artificial light is present) to determine how stored energy translates to measurements made with an IoT device.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Journal of Physics: Energy</journal><volume>7</volume><journalNumber>3</journalNumber><paginationStart>035019</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>IOP Publishing</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>2515-7655</issnElectronic><keywords>indoor photovoltaics, photovoltaic modules, energy-harvesting, system efficiency, organic photovoltaics, perovskite photovoltaics, parasitic resistances</keywords><publishedDay>1</publishedDay><publishedMonth>7</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-07-01</publishedDate><doi>10.1088/2515-7655/ade38b</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal)</apcterm><funders>This work was funded by the UKRI through the EPSRC Program Grant EP/T028513/1 'Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics'. This work was also supported through the Welsh Government's Sêr Cymru II Program 'Sustainable Advanced Materials' (European Regional Development Fund, Welsh European Funding Office and Swansea University Strategic Initiative). O J S acknowledges funding from the Research Council of Finland through Project No. 357196. P M is a Sêr Cymru II Research Chair and A A was a Rising Star Fellow. G B was supported through the EPSRC Program Grant EP/Y024060/1 'Switch to Net Zero Buildings: Place-Based Impact Acceleration Account'.</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-06-26T15:56:08.0471830</lastEdited><Created>2025-06-26T15:36:30.7341689</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics</level></path><authors><author><firstname>AUSTIN</firstname><surname>KAY</surname><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>SHIMRA</firstname><surname>AHMED</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Nicholas</firstname><surname>Burridge</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Drew</firstname><surname>Riley</surname><orcid>0000-0001-6688-0694</orcid><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Ardalan</firstname><surname>Armin</surname><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Oskar J</firstname><surname>Sandberg</surname><orcid>0000-0003-3778-8746</orcid><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Zaid</firstname><surname>Haymoor</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Matt</firstname><surname>Carnie</surname><orcid>0000-0002-4232-1967</orcid><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Paul</firstname><surname>Meredith</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9049-7414</orcid><order>9</order></author><author><firstname>Gregory</firstname><surname>Burwell</surname><orcid>0000-0002-2534-9626</orcid><order>10</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>69827__34600__04b30fd63139419f891afba0eab73281.pdf</filename><originalFilename>pdf.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-06-26T15:36:30.7341078</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>2883315</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>© 2025 The Author(s). Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling	2025-06-26T15:56:08.0471830 v2 69827 2025-06-26 Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems 3e6bba5f494384d1fe09c3c3315925e6 AUSTIN KAY AUSTIN KAY true false c54ff2cc1ffa80623f3978cac3f5f1f7 SHIMRA AHMED SHIMRA AHMED true false 1873cb3e3b5b137640ce5995586c8723 Nicholas Burridge Nicholas Burridge true false edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a 0000-0001-6688-0694 Drew Riley Drew Riley true false 22b270622d739d81e131bec7a819e2fd Ardalan Armin Ardalan Armin true false 46cfd102408d92d8cae350b4e4e0313d Zaid Haymoor Zaid Haymoor true false 73b367694366a646b90bb15db32bb8c0 0000-0002-4232-1967 Matt Carnie Matt Carnie true false 31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e 0000-0002-9049-7414 Paul Meredith Paul Meredith true false 49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199 0000-0002-2534-9626 Gregory Burwell Gregory Burwell true false 2025-06-26 By harvesting low-intensity ambient light, indoor photovoltaics (PVs) could soon power countless internet-of-things (IoT) devices and sensors. However, indoor illumination conditions vary from room to room and even hour to hour, leading to inconsistent PV power generation. To overcome this, energy-harvesting circuitry can be used alongside indoor PV modules to recharge batteries or capacitors, forming energy-harvesting systems that enable consistent discharge into IoT devices. The optimisation of such systems is a topic of intense research. In this work, we use thermodynamic principles to model power generation in indoor PV modules based on inorganic, perovskite, and organic semiconductors, before evaluating the efficiency of the whole energy-harvesting system. In these investigations, we account for detailed device physics, including sub-gap absorption, band-filling effects, point defects, and parasitic resistances, while also considering performance under several different light sources. Ultimately, we find that the maximum power point voltage ( Vmpp) is pivotal in determining the optimal number of cells for an indoor PV module. Despite some PV materials having a lower Vmpp due to narrower bandgaps or increased voltage losses, we find that this can be compensated for by increasing the number of cells; though too many cells can actually lead to inefficient energy harvesting. As a final case study, we evaluate the power generated and stored in a typical day (where an interplay between daylight and artificial light is present) to determine how stored energy translates to measurements made with an IoT device. Journal Article Journal of Physics: Energy 7 3 035019 IOP Publishing 2515-7655 indoor photovoltaics, photovoltaic modules, energy-harvesting, system efficiency, organic photovoltaics, perovskite photovoltaics, parasitic resistances 1 7 2025 2025-07-01 10.1088/2515-7655/ade38b COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) This work was funded by the UKRI through the EPSRC Program Grant EP/T028513/1 'Application Targeted and Integrated Photovoltaics'. This work was also supported through the Welsh Government's Sêr Cymru II Program 'Sustainable Advanced Materials' (European Regional Development Fund, Welsh European Funding Office and Swansea University Strategic Initiative). O J S acknowledges funding from the Research Council of Finland through Project No. 357196. P M is a Sêr Cymru II Research Chair and A A was a Rising Star Fellow. G B was supported through the EPSRC Program Grant EP/Y024060/1 'Switch to Net Zero Buildings: Place-Based Impact Acceleration Account'. 2025-06-26T15:56:08.0471830 2025-06-26T15:36:30.7341689 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics AUSTIN KAY 1 SHIMRA AHMED 2 Nicholas Burridge 3 Drew Riley 0000-0001-6688-0694 4 Ardalan Armin 5 Oskar J Sandberg 0000-0003-3778-8746 6 Zaid Haymoor 7 Matt Carnie 0000-0002-4232-1967 8 Paul Meredith 0000-0002-9049-7414 9 Gregory Burwell 0000-0002-2534-9626 10 69827__34600__04b30fd63139419f891afba0eab73281.pdf pdf.pdf 2025-06-26T15:36:30.7341078 Output 2883315 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2025 The Author(s). Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title	Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems
spellingShingle	Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems AUSTIN KAY SHIMRA AHMED Nicholas Burridge Drew Riley Ardalan Armin Zaid Haymoor Matt Carnie Paul Meredith Gregory Burwell
title_short	Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems
title_full	Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems
title_fullStr	Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems
title_full_unstemmed	Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems
title_sort	Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems
author_id_str_mv	3e6bba5f494384d1fe09c3c3315925e6 c54ff2cc1ffa80623f3978cac3f5f1f7 1873cb3e3b5b137640ce5995586c8723 edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a 22b270622d739d81e131bec7a819e2fd 46cfd102408d92d8cae350b4e4e0313d 73b367694366a646b90bb15db32bb8c0 31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e 49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199
author_id_fullname_str_mv	3e6bba5f494384d1fe09c3c3315925e6_*_AUSTIN KAY c54ff2cc1ffa80623f3978cac3f5f1f7__SHIMRA AHMED 1873cb3e3b5b137640ce5995586c8723__Nicholas Burridge edca1c48f922393fa2b3cb84d8dc0e4a__Drew Riley 22b270622d739d81e131bec7a819e2fd__Ardalan Armin 46cfd102408d92d8cae350b4e4e0313d__Zaid Haymoor 73b367694366a646b90bb15db32bb8c0__Matt Carnie 31e8fe57fa180d418afd48c3af280c2e__Paul Meredith 49890fbfbe127d4ae94bc10dc2b24199_**_Gregory Burwell
author	AUSTIN KAY SHIMRA AHMED Nicholas Burridge Drew Riley Ardalan Armin Zaid Haymoor Matt Carnie Paul Meredith Gregory Burwell
author2	AUSTIN KAY SHIMRA AHMED Nicholas Burridge Drew Riley Ardalan Armin Oskar J Sandberg Zaid Haymoor Matt Carnie Paul Meredith Gregory Burwell
format	Journal article
container_title	Journal of Physics: Energy
container_volume	7
container_issue	3
container_start_page	035019
publishDate	2025
institution	Swansea University
issn	2515-7655
doi_str_mv	10.1088/2515-7655/ade38b
publisher	IOP Publishing
college_str	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id	facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title	Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str	School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Physics
document_store_str	1
active_str	0
description	By harvesting low-intensity ambient light, indoor photovoltaics (PVs) could soon power countless internet-of-things (IoT) devices and sensors. However, indoor illumination conditions vary from room to room and even hour to hour, leading to inconsistent PV power generation. To overcome this, energy-harvesting circuitry can be used alongside indoor PV modules to recharge batteries or capacitors, forming energy-harvesting systems that enable consistent discharge into IoT devices. The optimisation of such systems is a topic of intense research. In this work, we use thermodynamic principles to model power generation in indoor PV modules based on inorganic, perovskite, and organic semiconductors, before evaluating the efficiency of the whole energy-harvesting system. In these investigations, we account for detailed device physics, including sub-gap absorption, band-filling effects, point defects, and parasitic resistances, while also considering performance under several different light sources. Ultimately, we find that the maximum power point voltage ( Vmpp) is pivotal in determining the optimal number of cells for an indoor PV module. Despite some PV materials having a lower Vmpp due to narrower bandgaps or increased voltage losses, we find that this can be compensated for by increasing the number of cells; though too many cells can actually lead to inefficient energy harvesting. As a final case study, we evaluate the power generated and stored in a typical day (where an interplay between daylight and artificial light is present) to determine how stored energy translates to measurements made with an IoT device.
published_date	2025-07-01T05:30:46Z
_version_	1856986830790983680
score	11.096068

Optimising photovoltaic modules for indoor energy-harvesting systems

Similar Items