Semi-transparent photovoltaics

Abstract

Semi-transparent photovoltaics (STPVs) have attracted an increasing attention thanks to their ability to seamlessly integrate power generation with light transmission. They can complement traditional opaque photovoltaics, significantly broadening their potential applications. Although STPVs have achieved great progress driven by advances in material engineering and device engineering, they still encounter substantial challenges for real-world deployment. This review summarizes recent progresses in STPVs technologies, highlights the challenges they face in practical applications, and provides a detailed analysis of the factors affecting their performance improvements. We explore how innovations in active layers manipulation, transparent electrodes design, interfacial engineering, optical structures and tandem architecture contribute to enhancing STPVs performance. Furthermore, we summarize the emerging applications of STPVs in areas such as building integrated photovoltaics, agricultural photovoltaics, bioelectronics, wearable electronics and optical wireless communication. Overall, this review offers valuable insights into materials science, physics and optoelectronics.