Development of solar panels with improved efficiency based on years of cooperative relationships

– National Semiconductor Korea (CEO: Choi Chung-won) announced today that it is collaborating with Suntech (Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd), the world's largest crystalline silicon manufacturer, to develop "smart panel" technology. Through this collaboration, National Semiconductor's award-winning SolarMagic™ Power Optimizer chipset will be integrated into Suntech's solar panels to improve the power generation performance of solar thermal systems.

"Smart panel technology is a key innovation that helps customers obtain greater power generation from solar thermal systems. We are truly pleased to be able to collaborate with National Semiconductor in the process of further developing this technology," said Shijun Cai, Senior Vice President at Suntech.

This announcement follows the May 2009 announcement by National Semiconductor that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Suntech to evaluate National Semiconductor’s SolarMagic technology for the purpose of joint technology promotion and the development of future solutions. Suntech has completed this evaluation, and the two companies are proceeding with the development phase.

"SunTech is one of the first companies in the industry to clearly understand the value that high-performance microelectronics bring to photovoltaic panels," said Michael Polacek, Senior Vice President of Key Market Segments and Business Development at National Semiconductor. "Developing next-generation products with SolarMagic technology integrated into junction boxes in cooperation with Suntech promises another leap forward and will ultimately further enhance the performance of solar panels," he said.

National Semiconductor will demonstrate the SolarMagic Power Optimizer chipset at the Solar Power International conference held in Los Angeles, USA, from October 12 to 14, 2010 (Booth #6219).

National's SolarMagic Power Optimizer chipset enables maximum energy generation from each solar module, regardless of performance degradation in other panels caused by environmental mismatches. This technology combines advanced algorithms with state-of-the-art analog power management circuitry to increase power output from each PV panel. In real-world environmental tests considering shading and mismatches, Suntech modules incorporating SolarMagic Power Optimizer technology recovered an average of 50% of energy losses, and in some cases, up to 75% of standard panel performance.

Recently, Suntech used SolarMagic Power Optimizers on the panels of the eco-friendly Suntech Guosheng, a solar-powered ship responsible for transporting visitors to the Shanghai World Expo.

Editor's Note: High-resolution photos of this product are from the National Photo Gallery