"Smart panel technology is an important innovation that will help customers harvest more energy from their solar systems. We are pleased to collaborate with National Semiconductor to drive the development of this technology," said Mr. Shijun Cai, Senior Vice President of Suntech.
This announcement follows on from the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) by both companies in May 2009 for Suntech to evaluate National Semiconductor’s SolarMagic technology with the intention of jointly promoting the technology and developing future solutions. Suntech has completed its evaluation and the two companies have advanced to the development phase.
"Suntech was one of the first companies to recognise the value that integrated high-performance microelectronics bring to a photovoltaic panel. We are proud of our collaboration with Suntech to develop a next-generation product that will embed SolarMagic technology inside the junction box and ultimately boost the performance of solar arrays," said Michael Polacek, Senior Vice President, Key Market Segments and Business Development for National Semiconductor.
National Semiconductor exhibited the SolarMagic power optimiser chipset at the Solar Power International conference in Los Angeles last week. The chipset enables each solar module to produce the maximum energy regardless of whether other panels in the array are under-performing due to environmental mismatch.
Boosting panel output
The technology enhances the energy harvest of each individual PV panel through a combination of advanced algorithms and leading-edge analogue power management circuit techniques. In real-world tests involving shading and mismatch, Suntech modules with SolarMagic power optimiser technology were shown to recoup an average of 50% of lost energy, and in some cases captured as much as 75% of otherwise lost energy compared to standard panel performance.
Suntech recently utilised SolarMagic power optimisers with its panels on the eco-friendly Suntech Guosheng, a solar energy-powered water vessel ferrying passengers at the Shanghai World Expo.
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