20th Mar 09
National Semiconductor enhance its
smart solar energy capabilities by buying Act Solar
National Semiconductor has acquired Act Solar, keeping
its eye on the growing potential of solar energy and smart
grid power.
Solar Photo Voltaic (PV) array/panel grid generates electrical
energy and power, which is very inconsistent and has to
weather environmental factors through out its lifetime.
California based Act Solar has developed a proprietary technology
called PowerString that optimize the performance, operation
and longevity of solar power plants.
Semiconductor play important role in bridging inconsistent
power from many solar panels to a single DC voltage grid.
The PV cell voltage and current (electrical) characteristics
vary based on the shadow, dust, age and such environment
parameters. The electrical and other influencing parameters
need to be measured continuously to produce maximum power
without any electrical burnouts.
It's absolutely a semiconductor job. National Semiconductor
with its range of power ICs and power monitoring ICs and
with these newly acquired technologies from Act Solar, is
addressing the smart grid market well in advance.
National calls this total solution as SolarMagic family.
Its products improve array performance by 6 to 11 percent
using patent-pending technology, complementing central inverters
by dynamically re-circulating small amounts of energy as
needed. The balance of the array is maintained, assuring
maximum power output. The technology utilizes a revolutionary
technique for power tracking, which works by injecting energy
into the string as opposed to traditional DC-DC voltage
converting approaches. Early field tests and historical
modeling have shown that this solution can cumulatively
deliver 40 to 80 percent more power over the operating life
of a solar panel installation.
The same technologies used for managing inconsistent power
from solar PV panels can be used as a base for building
larger public smart grid with other non-solar traditional
power source from public utility companies.
Mike Polacek, senior vice president of National's Key Market
Segments said, "Now with Act Solar we can further improve
the performance and efficiency of solar systems, at the
same time providing monitoring capabilities not available
before. This will make solar installations more efficient
and ultimately reduces the cost of solar energy for everyone."
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