BP Solar and SolarEdge Partner to Develop Power Harvesting System

Leading Global Companies Rigorously Test Holistic Solution for Worldwide Distribution

Frederick, MD and Herzliya, Israel—May 27, 2009—BP Solar and SolarEdge today announced a joint agreement to explore commercialization of a PV module-integrated power harvesting system embedded directly into BP Solar modules. The combined solution will maximize energy generation throughout the life of the solar power system while dramatically reducing complexities and costs. Standard power system architectures and designs may lead to losses of up to 20 percent or more per solar field in some installations due to module and array mismatch and partial shading.  Some system architectures also lack full monitoring, have suboptimal roof utilization and generally are weak in fire and maintenance safety, and ineffective in module theft prevention measures.

To achieve optimal energy yield while reducing these installation and maintenance challenges and costs, BP Solar is working to integrate SolarEdge’s and other active electronics directly into their modules. The combined technologies are currently undergoing rigorous thermal cycle testing to emulate 25 years of volatile solar field conditions.

“We are impressed with the initial performance and reliability tests of SolarEdge’s solution,” said Eric Daniels, Chief Technology Officer of BP Solar. “We believe the SolarEdge technology, when combined with BP Solar’s patented IntegraBus™ module power strip, can significantly enhance the energy output of residential and commercial scale systems.”

“BP Solar has contributed enormously to the advancement of the solar industry,” said Guy Sella, Chairman, CEO and Founder of SolarEdge. “By addressing the problems that the industry has overlooked or considered unavoidable, we can greatly improve solar economics through increasing energy output while reducing system costs.”

In support of this activity, BP Solar and SolarEdge have been awarded a research grant by the Israeli and US governments as part of the BIRD (Bi-national Industrial Research and Development) foundation, which contributes to joint development. Through the “BIRD Energy” initiative, the BP Solar-SolarEdge project has been recognized for its achievements in improving the effectiveness and economics of solar technology.

About BP Solar

BP Solar is a global company with about 2000 employees. BP Solar designs, manufactures and markets products which use the sun's energy to generate electricity for use in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. With over 35 years of experience and installations in most countries, BP Solar is one of the world's leading solar companies and annually invests millions in photovoltaic research and development.

About SolarEdge

SolarEdge is a provider of smart, holistic PV power harvesting and monitoring solutions for maximum energy and cost efficiency. The company works with industry-leading partners to embed its active electronic solution directly into PV modules. Unlike centralized architectures that can’t optimize the power of each module, only SolarEdge performs MPPT per module while communicating across existing power lines for granular visibility and control. As a result, our systemic holistic approach provides more power from any given installation, eliminates design constraints, provides complete visibility, solves all safety issues and provides anti-theft without increasing power harvesting costs.