Solar cage study using transparent panel under artificial Illumination for sustainable energy harvesting

Solar cages have been utilized to study sustainable energy harvesting by using opaque cells. A substantial reduction in illumination inside the cage, which can be left for plants, was reported in prior studies. Instead of opaque solar cells, transparent cells could be utilized to further advance the plant or food production. Utilizing the solar cage with transparent material, this study shows how much energy remains under controlled conditions with artificial lighting. As commercially available transparent Photovoltaic, PV, cells are in an early stage, polycarbonate plastic has been experimented as a placeholder for transparent cells to obtain an indication of the remaining energy inside the cage. The study explores the energy remaining inside the cage; for the structures built, less than 15% attenuation of illumination was observed.