The considerable increase in the number of devices needing connectivity, such as mobile phones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, has led to an exponential rise in data volumes during the last years, that will surely continue over the next decade. Therefore, it will be increasingly challenging to provide sufficient RF resources. A novel alternative to RF communications is Visible Light Communication (VLC). VLC is a communication technology that uses visible light as an information carrier. The use of VLC for indoor applications has been rapidly growing during the last years – Light Fidelity (LiFi) technology is an example of VLC application – with photodiodes being the most widely used receiving devices. However, looking at both indoor and outdoor communication, photovoltaic (PV) cells represent a relevant alternative for detecting the information. One of the advantages of using a PV cell as receiver is the huge sensitive area for detection of the information that simplifies alignment between transmitter and receiver.

Different light sources can be used in VLC. Typically, either LEDs or LASERs are considered, depending on the characteristics of the link (such as distance, type of receiver, indoor/outdoor application). These light sources differ in terms of spectrum, directionality, optical power density and bandwidth. The performance of the whole VLC link strongly depends on the characteristics of the light source, since it affects the ability of the receiver, such as a PV-device, to detect the information when it overlaps with the ambient light, that can reach very high values, especially in outdoor applications where the ambient light is the sunlight. Therefore, the modelling and analysis of the performance of different light sources in a PV-based VLC link will pave the way towards the realisation of a PV-based communication system of the future; and it is the focus of this thesis project.

The project goals were achieved by first reviewing the characteristics of light sources, to understand their advantages and drawbacks in (PV-based) VLC. This was followed by the development of models of the VLC data-link, with a focus on the light source, which took into account various factors such as the type of light source, its location relative to the receiver, and its dynamic behaviour. This was followed by the realisation of a test setup, to characterise different light sources, and the models were then used to simulate the light distribution from the actual light sources. Finally, the framework was used to simulate a LED-based solar simulator and an outdoor VLC data-link.