Chinese scientists generate solar power TEN METRES underwater in breakthrough that could power ocean sensors for years

From the Newshound archive · first published 29 September 2026 · last updated 30 September 2026.

A team at Yunnan University has achieved a world first by operating perovskite solar cells at a depth of 10 metres in the South China Sea near Weizhou Island, generating 324 milliwatt-hours during a two-hour test. The cells hit a record-breaking power conversion efficiency of nearly 35%, nudging past the Shockley-Queisser limit — long considered the theoretical ceiling for solar panels. Researchers say the cells could operate continuously at that depth for 5.5 years, powering submerged sensors, cameras and communication systems without bulky batteries or surface cables. Lead researcher Wen-Hua Zhang called it the first functional validation of submerged solar cells operating at that depth.

Standard silicon panels are useless this deep — only the narrow blue-green light that penetrates seawater survives, so the team engineered perovskite cells tuned precisely to that spectrum.

Previous underwater solar experiments had been confined to depths of two metres or less, making the 10-metre South China Sea test a significant leap in range.

Researchers now plan to push the technology deeper, determine its operational limits and create standardised testing methods for underwater solar power systems.