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. 2023 Oct 19;13(1):17846.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45226-9.

Lighting-environment-adjustable block-type 3D indoor PV for wireless sensor communication

Yeon Hyang Sim  1 , Jung-Hyun Hwang  2   3 , Min Ju Yun  1 , Kyoungho Lee  2 , Dong Yoon Lee  1 , Seung I Cha  4
Affiliations

Lighting-environment-adjustable block-type 3D indoor PV for wireless sensor communication

Yeon Hyang Sim et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Demand is increasing for photovoltaics (PVs) as a result of the development of the Internet of Things and edge computing technologies. As the lighting environment is different for the applications, thus, PVs must be adjustable to various light environments in which systems are installed. PVs should therefore be capable of easily changing their morphology without damaging the cells. To address this problem, in this work, a three-dimensional (3D) structure that increases power output under omnidirectional light was applied to a crystalline silicon solar cell array using a block-type method. The resultant block-type 3D indoor PV could operate a Bluetooth low-energy module in conjunction with a power management integrated circuit when the illuminance was 532 lx and 1620 lx and each PV installation area was 129.9cm2 and 32.48 cm2 respectively.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual image of the adjustable c-Si solar cell array considering different light environments.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Manufacturing process of a block-type module for (a) a 3D unit and (b) a flat cell. (c) Image of the measurement box.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Schematics of the location of the light sources for the three conditions: spot light, square light, and periodic light (left), and the light intensity at eight points 30 cm from the center, according to the light intensity at the center (right). (b) The power output relative to the spot light condition at 800, 1000, and 2000 lx with a flat cell and a 3D unit.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Image of the setup on a shelf in our lab; the inset image shows the light condition. The liquid crystal display (LCD) with a receiver and oscilloscope in (a) have an external power input. (b) Block diagram of the PV energy-harvesting PMIC. (c) Images of the adjustable array. The voltage of the PV, storage, and load with fully discharged storage with flat and 3D array (d) of 129.90 cm2 at Shelf 1 (535 lx).
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) The light condition at Shelf 2 (1620 lx). (b) The flat and 3D arrays in the same foot area of 64.95 cm2. The voltage according to time at Shelf 1 with (c, d) the 3D array and (e, f) the flat array. The installation area was 32.48 cm2 in (c) and (e) and 129.90 cm2 in (d) and (f).
Figure 6
Figure 6
The load connection control block.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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