Enabling current solar technology to extract significantly more energy in variable light conditions, the company enters the photovoltaic market with SolarMagic, a technology that promises to increase overall energy output of solar power generating systems. Essentially, the technology extracts the maximum power efficiency of each photovoltaic panel including panels compromised by shading, debris, or inherent panel-to-panel mismatches. According to the company, existing solar installations exhibit inconsistencies in performance resulting from shading, panel mismatches, and/or dirt accumulation. For example, a small amount of shading in the array can cut the energy harvest of a system in half. SolarMagic, described as a per-panel electronics technology that maximizes power output of multi-panel installations, recoups up to 50% of the lost energy thereby minimizing the economic impact of real-world conditions. Additionally, it is compatible with today’s solar architectures regardless of the underlying solar cell technology. SolarMagic is currently undergoing field trials with a number of solar companies. For more information, call NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORP., Santa Clara, CA. (800) 272-9959.