Towards energy neutral wireless communications : photovoltaic cells to connect remote areas

Das, Sovan and Poves, Enrique and Fakidis, John and Sparks, Adrian and Videv, Stefan and Haas, Harald (2019) Towards energy neutral wireless communications : photovoltaic cells to connect remote areas. Energies, 12 (19). 3772. ISSN 1996-1073 (https://doi.org/10.3390/en12193772)

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Abstract

In this work, we have designed, developed and deployed the world's first optical wireless communication (OWC) system using off-the-shelf lasers and solar photovoltaics. Four bidirectional OWC prototypes have been installed on the Orkney Islands of Scotland at a 30 m link distance for the provision of high-speed internet access to two residential properties. The silicon-made solar panels can harvest power up to 5 W from sunlight and they offer data rates as high as 8 Mb/s. Using additional analogue processing, data rates higher than the existing landline broadband connection are achieved. This breakthrough opens the development path to low cost, self-powered and plug-and-play free-space optical (FSO) systems.

ORCID iDs

Das, Sovan, Poves, Enrique, Fakidis, John ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8195-4890, Sparks, Adrian, Videv, Stefan and Haas, Harald;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)