Solar technology extracts more energy in variable light conditions

Today’s solar installations are disproportionately impacted by non-uniformities, caused by shading, panel mismatches or dirt accumulation. For example, a small amount of shading in the array can cut the energy harvest of a system in half. This significantly limits the energy output, design and location of typical residential solar installations. Shading conditions can even invalidate local utility and governmental incentives, making certain installations cost-prohibitive.

National Semiconductor Corp.’s SolarMagic technology extracts the maximum power efficiency of each photovoltaic panel, even when some panels in the array are compromised by shading, debris or inherent panel-to-panel mismatch. It recoups up to 50 percent of the lost energy thereby minimizing the economic impact of shading and other real-world conditions.The technology enables consumers to produce more energy under adverse conditions and reduce the payback time of their investment with an environmentally friendly source of power. SolarMagic technology is a per-panel electronics solution that maximizes power output of multi-panel installations. It is compatible with today’s solar architectures regardless of the underlying solar cell technology.

National has entered field trials with its SolarMagic technology. REgrid Power Inc., one of the largest solar installers in California, has begun system testing of the technology. Several additional solar companies are slated to join the field trials over the next several months, and National will expand field trials to include installers in other countries with high adoption rates of solar.