National launches photovoltaic technology

National Semiconductor has thrown its hat into the burgeoning market for photovoltaic devices with the launch of technology designed to increase the overall energy output of solar electric power generating systems. Called SolarMagic, the approach is said to extract 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. “National’s entry into the photovoltaic market is a natural extension of our focus on energy efficient systems,” said Brian Halla, National’s chairman and ceo. “Our technologists solved this real world problem and are enabling consumers to produce more energy under adverse conditions and reduce the payback time of their investment with an environmentally friendly source of power.” Field trials of SolarMagic are under way in California, where REgrid Power says it has seen energy output improvements of up to 44% during shaded conditions and 12% overall versus the same system running without SolarMagic technology.