# Underexplored Dimensions of Emerging Indoor Photovoltaics

## TL;DR

This paper explores how indoor photovoltaics can power IoT devices without batteries by considering real-world lighting and design factors.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a deployment-centered approach for indoor photovoltaics, emphasizing realistic testing and integration strategies.

## Key findings

- Realistic mixed lighting conditions significantly affect indoor photovoltaic performance.
- Integrating absorber bandgap and power management improves device efficiency for IoT applications.
- Photon-to-compute metrics help link harvested power to device functionality.

## Abstract

Indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) can significantly reduce
reliance on
disposable batteries in Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Yet, most
evaluations use idealized lighting setups and single performance metrics,
neglecting the influence of real indoor environments on device performance.
This Perspective advances a deployment-centered approach: (i) realistic
testing under mixed or hybrid lighting (daylight + artificial); (ii)
intelligent integration that aligns absorber bandgap, series-connected
cells, geometric fill factor, and power management integrated circuits
with workloads and duty cycles; and (iii) IoT-ready stability assessed
under the same realistic indoor scenes and light/dark sequences. We
propose a compact field-to-lab pipeline, translate it into voltage-matching
design rules, and use photon-to-compute metrics to link harvested
power to on-device sensing and learning. The goal is low-maintenance,
battery-free nodes that scale reliably in buildings, logistics, and
wearable applicationsultimately cutting electronic waste.