Shading is an obvious and nagging problem for solar installations. It can significantly reduce the efficiency and output of a solar electric system. Now National Semiconductor, a maker of chips for audio and electronic systems, is breaking into the solar scene with a new innovation they dub SolarMagic. This technology, the company claims, can win back up to 50% of the energy typically lost when a solar panel incurs shading from a variety of sources, including trees, power lines, dust, and debris.

Put simply, SolarMagic technology solves a problem historically associated with a string of Christmas lights — when one light goes out, the whole string goes out. It is the same with a solar array, according to National’s website, when even a small part of a panel is compromised, most likely by shade, it affects the efficiency of the entire array disproportionately. SolarMagic simply allows those parts of the solar array still in full sunlight to continue working at full capacity, despite the shading of one panel.

The first SolarMagic converters are now in limited use as the company conducts real-world performance tests. The first commercially available systems should be on the market in the first part of 2009.

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Posted on August 5th in Solar Products by Dan.