NXP creates new integrated circuit for energy-efficient fuel cells
Electronics manufacturer NXP Semiconductors has created a new type of integrated circuit which it claims can be used to maximise the efficiency of solar cells and fuel cells.
The MPT612 utilises a patent-pending algorithm to control the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) functions of solar panels, allowing 30 per cent more energy to be extracted from the devices than traditional PWM controllers.
According to the firm, it means that the new integrated circuit can deliver 98 per cent efficient power extraction, making it useful in applications such as solar battery charge controllers, distributed MPPT and micro-inverters.
Jan Willem Vogel, senior director of industrial applications marketing at NXP Semiconductors, said the device “enables PV integrators to further improve efficiency across a wide range of solar cell and fuel cell applications, as validated through extensive testing over an extended period of time”.
Last week, light-based research organisation SPIE published new research into how colloidal quantum dots could help to underpin development of new photonic integrated circuits for next-generation computing.
Rapid Electronics is a leading UK supplier of energy saving products, electronic components and electrical equipment.
