Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP) is collaborating with four semiconductor companies in an effort to explore possibilities for "smart" solar panels.
Collaborators include microinverter companies Enphase Energy and Azuray Technologies, as well as National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: NSM) and Tigo Energy.
Each company made a separate announcement–suggesting that Suntech may be searching for a single partner to develop a commercial product, rather than a multi-party solution.
Generally speaking, "smart" solar power installations include power optimization, monitoring and inverter electronics within each panel, rather than separate larger units that manage the output of all the panels in an installation.
Smart panels are typically used in smaller-scale residential or commercial installation, where they can allow for greater design flexibility. Also, the individual optimizers are said to boost power output, especially in situations where the installation may experience partial shading in the course of a day.
Enphase Energy has been the sole player in the niche market for microinverters over the last two years, selling more than 400,000 units, but Azuray emerged this week with the Suntech announcement and a separate agreement with China’s Renhe Photovoltaic Technology company. In addition to microinverters, Azuray also makes DC-to-DC power optimizers (similar to SolarEdge which announced it will ramp up production following a $25 million funding round announced this week.)
National Semiconductor will be testing its SolarMagic chipset with Suntech’s panels. And Tigo Energy will integrate its Maximizer solution into panel junction boxes, which it says can boost output up to 20% while providing monitoring capabilities.
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