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Accelerating commercialization and deployment of indoor photovoltaics
Nature
volume 659, pages 49–57 (2026) Cite this article
The growing reliance on distributed electronics, such as Internet of Things (IoT) nodes, smart-home devices and portable consumer products, has intensified demand for indoor energy-harvesting technologies that reduce battery replacement and servicing. Consequently, indoor photovoltaics (PVs) have advanced rapidly; however, translating state-of-the-art cells into deployable products requires design principles that reflect real indoor conditions. Here recent progress in perovskite (bulk and quantum dot), organic, amorphous-silicon, III–V and dye-sensitized PVs is examined to identify bottlenecks that arise under low-light conditions and during scale-up. This Review highlights how low-light operation favours wide-bandgap absorbers and reduced non-radiative voltage losses while reshaping module design: lower series-resistance (RS) penalties permit wider subcells and fewer interconnections, increasing geometric fill factor, whereas shunt and leakage pathways consume more of the weak photocurrent. Measurement practices for credible cross-technology benchmarking are discussed, emphasizing the transparent reporting of spectra, illuminance/irradiance, stabilization and uncertainty. Finally, the relationship between device performance and manufacturability and product integration is considered, including power-management requirements and chemical/regulatory constraints (for example, restricted substances and end-of-life handling). These guidelines provide a practical framework for evaluating indoor PVs on the basis of delivered and retained power and for accelerating the transition from laboratory-scale demonstrations to reliable, visually adaptable products for the built environment.
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