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National Semi Announces Several Implementations of SolarMagic Technology

June 09, 2010 by Jeff Shepard

National Semiconductor Corp. has made several announcements related to its SolarMagic™ technology. National’s SolarMagic power optimizers distribute smart electronics throughout a solar array to maximize the energy harvest of installations at the panel or string level.

Huber+Suhner AG, a global supplier of components and systems for electrical and optical connectivity is debuting its next-generation of solar junction boxes with the SolarMagic technology inside. By integrating power electronics with enhanced performance management, National and Huber+Suhner state that they are offering a smart panel junction box solution that efficiently and cost-effectively boosts system performance.

Green Energy Solar (GESOLAR), a provider of solar energy products and services, has developed GESOLAR brand modules with embedded SolarMagic power optimization technology. GESOLAR’s high-efficiency polycrystalline photovoltaic (PV) modules incorporate SolarMagic power optimization to offer what is described as an affordable "smart panel" solution to the underperformance issues common with solar energy installations.

Shoals Technologies Group, a provider of energy solutions that create and maintain clean and sustainable energy, has developed the first in a series of new "smart" Shoals products: junction boxes with National Semiconductor’s SolarMagic power optimization technology inside.

Coupling this technology with Shoals’ offerings – which include junction boxes, combiner boxes, "plug-and-play" harness solutions, photovoltaic monitoring systems and racking – is said to provide system integrators a complete smart panel solution that cost-effectively optimizes solar energy system performance.

QC Solar, a manufacturer of photovoltaic connecting systems, has signed a sales agreement to place Solar Magic technology into QC Solar’s SmartTrack™ product line, including intelligent junction boxes. The move comes one year after the two companies formed a strategic partnership and marks the successful completion of extensive tests of National’s technology in QC Solar’s products.

As part of the initial agreement between National and QC Solar, QC Solar developed an intelligent junction box that applied National’s distributed maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technology with QC Solar’s solar electronics to dramatically increase energy harvest. QC Solar will manufacture and market two types of junction boxes in its SmartTrack line; one will feature integrated MPPT IC and diode pass protection and the other will offer independent MPPT IC.