Solar panels have emerged as dual-functional devices for simultaneous optical signal detection and energy harvesting in optical wireless communication (OWC) systems, particularly visible light communication (VLC). Unlike conventional biased photodiodes, they offered large photosensitive areas, self-powered operation, and low cost. This study implemented and analyzed a reference solar-panel receiver model from the literature, then proposed a modified architecture by optimizing load resistance and coupling capacitance to minimize RC time constants. Using parameter extraction from a commercial 2.5 W solar panel and LTSpice simulations, the reference design yielded a bandwidth of ~690 kHz, while the proposed configuration achieved ~2 MHz—a nearly 3× improvement—with an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) despite a slight noise increase. Thermal and shot noise contributions were quantified for both designs. The results demonstrated improved pulse integrity and feasibility for higher data-rate, self-powered indoor OWC nodes in energy-constrained IoT applications, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional receivers.

This paper presented a comprehensive analysis of a solar-panel-based receiver for optical wireless communication with simultaneous energy harvesting. A reference receiver model was implemented and evaluated, and a modified receiver architecture was proposed to enhance bandwidth performance. Simulation results demonstrated that the proposed design significantly improved bandwidth (~2 MHz) while maintaining acceptable noise characteristics. These findings supported the feasibility of solar panels as cost-effective and self-powered receivers for indoor OWC systems, particularly in energy-constrained IoT applications. Future work will focus on experimental validation and the integration of equalization techniques to further enhance data rates.

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