National Semi & West Holdings Collaborate To Promote SolarMagic Power Optimizers In Japan
National Semiconductor Corp. and West Holdings, a leading Japanese company in environment-compatible home remodeling and improvement businesses such as photovoltaic (PV) systems, all-electric home appliances and house insulation services, announce that they have signed an agreement to promote and sell National Semiconductor’s SolarMagic™ power optimizers in the Japanese market.
This announcement makes West Holdings the first Japanese PV business partner for National. West Holdings said House Care, one of its group companies, began selling SolarMagic power optimizers on June 22 by providing its customers with residential PV systems combined with SolarMagic. SolarMagic power optimizers are already available in the world’s important PV markets including Europe and North America.
SolarMagic power optimizers, built upon National’s analog and power management circuits, use distributed electronics throughout a solar installation to minimize energy loss due to panel mismatches caused by shade and debris. Before starting marketing activities, West Holdings conducted field tests required before the start of sales of National’s SolarMagic power optimizers and will continue field tests to evaluate them in Japan’s real-world conditions.
"We are excited to work with House Care of West Holdings Group, the leader in PV system installation and distribution industry in Japan. We believe its PV experience and expertise will help us introduce our innovative SolarMagic power optimizers to Japanese homeowners," said Jeff Waters, President of National Semiconductor Japan. "National has a 50-year history of quality and reliability as a leader in power management. Our products are quality-certified in extreme conditions for military, automotive, telecom and aerospace applications. Our industry-leading reputation for quality adds to the uniqueness of our SolarMagic products in the Japanese marketplace where demands for quality are very high."
"In Japan, people often face difficulties with the installation of a PV system because of small and complex-shaped roofs. In urban areas such as Tokyo, some of our potential customers have to give up installing a PV system due to these inhibiting conditions. National Semiconductor’s SolarMagic power optimizers provide them an optimal solution to increase flexibility," said Naoto Ikeda, Executive Senior Managing Director of West Holdings. "We believe collaboration with National Semiconductor will accelerate pace for us to become an independent system integrator for PV systems that can provide best choices of PV panels, components and modules from various suppliers."
