Solar Energy

Plastic solar cells combine high-speed optical communication with indoor energy harvesting

Published

4 years ago

March 3, 2021

sarosh

Plastic solar cells combine high-speed optical communication with indoor energy harvesting

Around the world there are currently more than 18 billion internet-connected mobile devices. In the next 10 years, anticipated growth in the Internet of Things (IoT) and in machine-type communication in general, will lead to a world of hundreds of billions of data-connected objects. Such growth poses two very challenging problems:

How can we securely connect so many wireless devices to the Internet when the radio-frequency bandwidth has already become very scarce?

How can all these devices be powered?

Regular, manual charging of all mobile Internet-connected devices will not be feasible, and connection to the power-grid cannot be generally assumed. Therefore, many of these mobile devices will need to be able to harvest energy to become largely energy-autonomous.

In a new paper published in Light Science and Application, researchers from the University of Strathclyde and the University of St Andrews have demonstrated a plastic solar panel that combines indoor optical energy harvesting with simultaneously receiving multiple high-speed data signals by multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) visible light communications (VLC).

The research, led by Professor Harald Haas from the Strathclyde LiFi Research and Development Centre, and Professors Ifor Samuel and Graham Turnbull at the St Andrews Organic Semiconductor Centre, makes an important step towards the future realization of self-powered data-connected devices.

The research teams showed that organic photovoltaics (OPVs), solar cells made from similar plastic-like materials to those used in OLED smartphone displays, are suitable for high-speed optical data receivers that can also harvest power. Using an optimized combination of organic semiconductor materials, stable OPVs were designed and fabricated for efficient power conversion of indoor lighting.

A panel of 4 OPV cells was then used in an optical wireless communication experiment, receiving a data rate of 363 Mb/s from an array of 4 laser diodes (each laser transmitting a separate signal), while simultaneously harvesting 11 mW of optical power.

Prof Turnbull explained: “Organic photovoltaics offers an excellent platform for indoor power harvesting for mobile devices. Their advantage over silicon is that the materials can be designed to achieve maximum quantum efficiency for typical LED lighting wavelengths. Combined with the data reception capability, this opens up a significant opportunity for self-powered Internet of Things devices.”

Prof Haas added: “Organic photovoltaic cells are very attractive because they are easily made and can be flexible, allowing mass integration into internet-connected devices. In addition, compared to inorganic detectors, OPVs have the potential to be significantly cheaper, which is a key driver to their large-scale commercial adoption.

Visible light communication provides unregulated, safe and vast resources to alleviate emerging wireless capacity bottlenecks. Of course, visible light can also provide energy. To achieve both objectives with a single device, new solar cells are needed.

They must be capable of simultaneously harvesting energy and detecting data at high speeds. It is, therefore, essential to develop solar cells that have two key features: a) they exhibit a very large electrical bandwidth in the photovoltaic mode of operation, and b) have a large collection area to be able to collect a sufficient number of photons to achieve high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and harvest maximum energy from light.

Regrettably, the two requirements are typically mutually exclusive because a large detector area results in a high capacitance and hence low electrical bandwidth. In this research, we have overcome this fundamental limitation by using an array of OPV cells as a MIMO receiver to establish multiple parallel and independent data channels while being able to accumulate the harvested energies of all individual solar cells. To the best of our knowledge, this has never been shown before.

This work therefore lays the foundation for the creation of a very large, massive MIMO solar cell receiver enabling hundreds and potentially thousands of individual data streams while using the huge collection area to harvest large amounts of energy from light (both data carrying and ambient light). It is imaginable to turn entire walls into a gigabit per second data detector while harvesting sufficient energy to power many distributed intelligent sensors, data processing and communication nodes.”

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Solar Energy

Star Catcher showcases space energy beaming tech at Jacksonville stadium

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2025

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Star Catcher showcases space energy beaming tech at Jacksonville stadium

by Clarence Oxford

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 24, 2025

Star Catcher Industries, Inc. (“Star Catcher”), a leader in the field of space-to-space energy transfer, has completed its first public demonstration of space power beaming technology. This milestone event, held at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, marks significant progress toward the development of a space-based energy grid designed to provide uninterrupted power to satellites and space infrastructure.

During the demonstration, Star Catcher deployed its proprietary system to harness concentrated solar energy and beam it over a distance exceeding 100 meters. The energy was transmitted to a series of standard satellite solar panels, effectively showcasing the system’s compatibility with existing spacecraft hardware. This demonstration highlighted the adaptability of Star Catcher’s technology, which requires no modifications to current satellite power systems, allowing seamless integration into existing orbital platforms.

“This demonstration marks the first end-to-end test of our space power beaming technology, proving we can collect and wirelessly transmit energy with the precision needed for space applications,” said Andrew Rush, Co-Founder and CEO of Star Catcher. “Today’s success puts us one step closer to eliminating power constraints in space and unlocking new capabilities for satellites and the customers they serve.”

The EverBank Stadium event represents a foundational achievement for the planned Star Catcher Network, an orbital power infrastructure intended to offer on-demand, continuous energy supply to satellites and other space-based assets. By validating the core functionality of its power transmission technology in a real-world setting, Star Catcher has demonstrated its readiness to move toward larger-scale applications.

Looking ahead, the company is preparing for a more ambitious trial at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) this summer. This future demonstration aims to transmit hundreds of watts of power wirelessly across a distance greater than one kilometer, energizing multiple simulated satellites simultaneously. The LLF site, historically used for Space Shuttle landings, will provide a fitting backdrop for this next phase of development.

Star Catcher’s momentum in advancing space power solutions is further bolstered by recent financial and governmental support. The firm secured a $12.25 million seed investment co-led by Initialized Capital and B Capital. In addition, it received an AFWERX SBIR Phase 1 contract to enhance its capabilities in space-based power transmission.

Rooted in Jacksonville, Star Catcher has deep ties to the local space innovation ecosystem. By hosting its inaugural technology demonstration at EverBank Stadium, in partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the company reinforced its commitment to community involvement. The event also served as a unique educational platform, allowing local students to engage with groundbreaking space technology developed within their region.

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Solar Energy

Framatome and Perpetual Atomics to Scale Up Space Battery Production for Future Missions

Published

1 day ago

March 24, 2025

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Framatome and Perpetual Atomics to Scale Up Space Battery Production for Future Missions

by Sophie Jenkins

London, UK (SPX) Mar 24, 2025

Framatome and Perpetual Atomics have formalised a new strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aiming to scale up the production of americium-based radioisotope power systems, often referred to as “space batteries.” Signed during the Farnborough International Space Show, the agreement outlines a joint effort to advance the industrial processing of americium into sealed sources for radioisotope heater units (RHUs) and radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs).

These power systems, which generate heat through the natural decay of radioisotopes, can use that heat directly or convert it into electrical energy. Among available isotopes, americium-241 stands out due to its lengthy half-life of approximately 430 years, making it an optimal choice for space missions requiring sustained energy over extended durations.

The collaboration is designed to address the need for reliable energy solutions for deep space exploration, with a focus on industrialising the manufacturing processes to meet the demands of upcoming missions.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Perpetual Atomics to jointly pioneer the further development of nuclear power technology, pushing new frontiers in enabling deep space exploration. The partnership forges Perpetual Atomics’ cutting-edge technology in radioisotope nuclear power systems with Framatome’s global nuclear pedigree in production-scale industrialisation,” said Dr. Kason Bala, Chief Commercial Officer, UK Defence and Space at Framatome Ltd.

Professor Richard Ambrosi, Chief Scientific Officer, founder, and Director of Perpetual Atomics, commented: “The UK and Europe host a large inventory of americium, and this combined with the technology maturity, know-how, and industrial capability to scale production and manufacturing establishes an important foundation for the UK and European Space Agency (ESA) programmes. Perpetual Atomics looks forward to working closely with Framatome to develop industrialisation solutions for radioisotope power systems at scale.”

The agreement leverages Framatome’s extensive experience in nuclear manufacturing and regulatory compliance and Perpetual Atomics’ two decades of innovation in the field, much of which has been driven by the Space Nuclear Power group at the University of Leicester. Framatome Space and Framatome Ltd are expected to play significant roles in supporting lunar and Mars exploration missions under UK and ESA initiatives later this decade.

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Solar Energy

800-mn-euro battery factory to be built in Finland

Published

4 days ago

March 21, 2025

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800-mn-euro battery factory to be built in Finland

by AFP Staff Writers

Helsinki (AFP) Mar 20, 2025

A Chinese-Finnish company announced Thursday it would begin building a battery materials plant in Finland in April, the first of its kind in the Nordic country.

The plant will produce cathode active material, a key component in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and for energy storage, said Easpring Finland New Materials, a company co-owned by Finnish Minerals Group and Beijing Easpring Material Technology.

It said the investment was worth 800 million euros ($868 million).

The announcement came one week after a bankruptcy filing by Swedish battery maker Northvolt, which had planned to develop cathode production but dropped those plans to focus on battery cell production as it fought for survival.

Easpring Finland New Materials said commercial production was expected to begin in 2027.

The plant, to be located in Kotka in southeast Finland, will initially produce 60,000 tonnes of cathode active material annually.

At full production capacity, it could supply cathode material for the production of around 750,000 electric vehicles annually, the company said.

Matti Hietanen, the chief executive of Finnish Minerals Group, said the investment created an “entirely new kind of industry in Finland related to the production of lithium-ion batteries” and represented a European “spearhead project for the industry.”

The new plant will employ 270 people and an area of around 80 hectares had been reserved for its construction.

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