PV Inverter Scene Overhauled by Micros and the AC Module

Central inverters may currently dominate photovoltaic installations but a distributed inverter architecture using either micro-inverters or AC-DC solutions is set to mount a growing challenge. See a recent review at RenewableEnergy.com

Some recent developments in this area:

Enphase teams up with Suntech on smart solar panels

Petaluma-based Enphase makes microinverters that increase the efficiency of solar panels. It has sold 400,000 of the microinverters since it started business in 2008. Paul Nahi is its president and CEO. Suntech (NYSE: STP) makes solar power systems for use on homes, businesses and by large industrial and utility customers. It’s based in Wuxi, China. Its local head office is in San Francisco.The two didn’t give financial or other details of this agreement.

National Semiconductor and Suntech Collaborate to Develop ‘Smart Panel’ Technology 

National Semiconductor announced today that it is collaborating with Suntech to develop “smart panel” technology, incorporating National Semiconductor’s award-winning SolarMagic™ power optimizer chipset into Suntech solar panels to improve the power output of solar systems. National’s SolarMagic power optimizer chipset enables each solar module to produce the maximum energy regardless of whether other panels in the array are under-performing due to environmental mismatch. The technology enhances the energy harvest of each individual PV panel through a combination of advanced algorithms and leading-edge analog power management circuit techniques. In real-world tests involving shading and mismatch, Suntech modules with SolarMagic power optimizer technology were shown to recoup an average of 50 percent of lost energy, and in some cases captured as much as 75 percent of otherwise lost energy compared to standard panel performance.