A research team from University College London has published their latest breakthrough in Advanced Functional Materials, successfully developing perovskite solar cells optimized for indoor environments. The technology converts 37.6% of indoor light into electricity—six times more efficient than existing commercial products—offering a sustainable indoor photovoltaic solution for IoT devices.

Conventional perovskite solar cells suffer from performance degradation due to crystal defects. The team addressed this by introducing a synergistic combination of three chemical substances, including rubidium chloride, significantly improving material stability. “Our specially formulated perovskite indoor solar cells capture more energy than commercial batteries and are more durable than other prototypes,” said project lead Dr. Mojtaba Abdi Jalebi. Testing showed the new cells retained 92% of their performance after more than 100 days under standard indoor illumination, far outperforming the 76% of the control group.

This breakthrough technology uses a solution-processing method with cost advantages. “They can be printed like newspaper,” Dr. Abdi Jalebi added. The research team has already initiated collaborations with industry partners to advance the commercialization of this indoor photovoltaic technology. The innovation holds promise for providing battery-free power to low-power devices such as keyboards and sensors, helping to reduce electronic waste.