Overview
- The study led by Silvia Ma Lu was published Oct. 2, 2026, and tested two semi-transparent magenta CdTe panel systems and a full-sun control on 20 m by 20 m plots at an experimental farm in Sweden.
- Broccoli grown under the denser magenta panels showed up to a 4.5-fold increase in sunlight-use efficiency and produced heads comparable in size to full-sun controls but required about 25 more days to reach maturity.
- The panels transmit red and blue wavelengths that plants need while harvesting other parts of the spectrum for electricity using cadmium-telluride strips embedded in the glass.
- Electricity generation in the trial averaged roughly 224.7 MWh per hectare over the season, about 100 MWh/ha less than conventional panels of similar area, creating a clear trade-off between crop gains and lost power revenue.
- Authors stress the work is a small, single-season prototype study and say multi-season, multi-crop and larger-area tests plus economic analysis are needed before commercial scaling, with near-term fits likely in greenhouses or community gardens.