Perovskite solar cells, often called PeSCs, are changing the way energy is captured—especially indoors. Unlike the rigid and heavy silicon panels fixed to rooftops, these thin and flexible materials can power small electronics under common lighting. What once seemed like a futuristic dream is now becoming a practical solution thanks to new ways of making these cells work better in low-light spaces.

Rethinking Solar Power for Indoor Light

You’ve probably seen solar panels soaking up sunlight outside. But researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan are shifting the focus indoors. Their latest innovation, published in APL Energy, shows that PeSCs can convert light from sources like overhead fluorescent bulbs into electrical power.

These solar cells aren't built the same way as traditional silicon-based ones. Instead, PeSCs use a crystal-like structure called perovskite. This material allows the devices to be thin, bendable, and even see-through. That opens the door for them to be used on surfaces beyond rooftops—like on windows, wearables, and even the back of remote controls.

The bandgap of a solar cell controls which wavelengths of light the material can absorb. Silicon’s bandgap is fixed, which limits how much it can adapt to different lighting conditions. PeSCs are more tunable, and that gives scientists an advantage when designing cells that work under office lights instead of direct sun.