National Semiconductor and QC Solar Sign Sales Agreement to Manufacture, Market Intelligent PV Electronics

MUNICH, June 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- INTERSOLAR EUROPE -- National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: NSM) and QC Solar, a leader in manufacturing photovoltaic connecting systems, have signed a sales agreement to integrate National's award-winning SolarMagic™ technology into QC Solar's SmartTrack™ product line, including intelligent junction boxes.  The move comes one year after the two companies formed a strategic partnership and marks the successful completion of extensive tests of National's technology in QC Solar's products.

"We created our SolarMagic suite of products to provide solar array owners with an affordable means to increase the power output of their already costly installations," said Mike Polacek, Senior Vice President, National Semiconductor. "Through our agreement with QC Solar, we will continue to honor this commitment and further drive down the price of harnessing energy from the sun."

As part of the initial agreement between National and QC Solar, QC Solar developed an intelligent junction box that applied National's proven distributed maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technology with QC Solar's reliable and high performance solar electronics to dramatically increase energy harvest.  QC Solar will manufacture and market two types of junction boxes in its SmartTrack line; one will feature integrated MPPT IC and diode pass protection and the other will offer independent MPPT IC.

National and QC Solar will demonstrate SolarMagic smart panel junction boxes at Intersolar Europe in Munich, Germany, June 9-11, 2010.  Visit National Semiconductor in Hall B5, Booth #429 and QC Solar in Hall C4, Booth #358.

"We are proud to partner with a recognized world leader in smart electronics to develop the comprehensive solar solutions our customers demand," said Duan Zhenggang, CEO of QC Solar. "Together, we are incubating the intelligent PV innovations that will vastly expand the viability of clean energy worldwide."

About SolarMagic

National's SolarMagic SM3320 is the first analog-intensive power management chipset in a new category of in-panel electronics that improves power output, reliability and cost-effectiveness of solar systems.  SolarMagic enables each solar panel to produce the maximum energy regardless of whether other panels in the array are under-performing due to mismatch. SolarMagic monitors and maximizes the energy harvest of each individual PV panel through a combination of advanced algorithms and leading-edge mixed-signal technology. In worldwide tests, SolarMagic can recoup up to 71 percent of power lost to mismatch – regardless of cell technology – giving installation owners more predictable power output and increased return on investment.

About National Semiconductor

National Semiconductor is a leader in analog power management technology. Its products include easy-to-use integrated circuits, PowerWise products that enable more energy-efficient systems, and SolarMagic products which improve the energy output of solar arrays. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary last May. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., National reported sales of $1.46 billion for fiscal 2009.  Additional information is available at www.national.com.  

About QC Solar

QC Solar is a leader in manufacturing and marketing of solar PV junction boxes, cables, connectors and solar distributing systems.  The "Municipal Enterprise Technology R&D Center," in Suzhou, China is home to 17 researchers and has secured 27 patents.  QC Solar has two plants in China, one in Suzhou City and another in Huai'an City, and four remote offices.  QC Solar products are approved both by TUV and UL in China, and are distributed worldwide, including China, Germany, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Italy, USA, Korea, India, Singapore and Egypt.

National Semiconductor is a registered trademark and SolarMagic is a trademark of National Semiconductor Corporation.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE National Semiconductor Corp.