Fig. 2: Transpiration performance of the PV-leaf.
From: High-efficiency bio-inspired hybrid multi-generation photovoltaic leaf
a Diagram of the testing platform. A calibrated solar simulator was used to generate sunlight with an average irradiance of G = 1000 W/m2. The detailed circuit diagram of the electrical measuring system used for the PV-leaf in this work is shown in Supplementary Fig. 2. b Temperature profile of the PV-leaf compared to that of a standalone conventional PV cell. A significant temperature reduction of ~26 °C was observed in the test. c Transpiration rate of the PV-leaf is around 1.1 L/h/m2 (left y-axis), equivalent to 9.7 L/day/m2 (right y-axis) according to a whole-day simulation in the Supplementary Information. d V–I and P–I profiles of the PV-leaf and standalone PV cell. Significant positive shifts in the curves were observed in PV-leaf which benefitted from the cooling effect. e Comparisons of crucial electrical parameters (open-circuit voltage Voc, fill factor FF and electrical efficiency ηel) of the PV-leaf and conventional PV cell. f Relative electrical improvements of the PV-leaf compared to the conventional PV cell.
