Infineon Technologies announces that BRC Solar GmbH has selected Infineon’s CoolGaN Transistor 100V devices as the core switching technology for its Power Optimiser. The CoolGaN Transistor 100V family delivers switching performance and power-handling capability in a compact 3x 5mm package, enabling panel-level maximum power-point tracking (MPPT) with the highest efficiency and power density available in this class of solar application. The selection underlines the growing adoption of Infineon’s GaN technology in renewable energy applications, where superior switching performance, compact form factor, and cost competitiveness are critical design requirements.
“The adoption of CoolGaN technology from Infineon in BRC Solar’s Power Optimisers demonstrates the tangible impact that GaN switching performance can deliver in real-world renewable energy systems,” says Johannes Schoiswohl, Senior Vice President & General Manager GaN Business Line at Infineon. “By enabling higher efficiency, greater power density, and cloud-based performance monitoring in the same compact form factor, CoolGaN helps solar system designers push the boundaries of what is achievable in rooftop solar applications and brings meaningful benefits to end users and the environment alike.”
Rooftop solar installations face a fundamental efficiency challenge: when MPPT is implemented at the string level, partial shading of a single panel reduces the output of the entire string. The CoolGaN Transistor 100V family addresses this directly by enabling cost-effective panel-level MPPT optimisation, eliminating the performance drag of the weakest panel and maximising energy yield across the full installation. The inherently superior switching characteristics of GaN, including lower switching losses, higher switching frequency capability, and reduced EMI compared to silicon alternatives, make CoolGaN the enabling technology for power optimisers that must simultaneously meet stringent efficiency, size, and regulatory requirements.
“Since its founding, BRC Solar has recognised the transformative potential of gallium nitride technology for achieving best-in-class performance in solar power optimisers,” says Pascal Ruisinger, CFO at BRC Solar GmbH. “Infineon and BRC Solar share the same vision: to leverage state-of-the-art technologies such as CoolGaN to benefit the environment and society by delivering optimised green energy through feature-rich and affordable products.”
The superior switching performance of CoolGaN, combined with a diverse product portfolio spanning discrete and integrated solutions across a broad range of voltage and power levels, allows BRC Solar’s Power Optimiser design to achieve the optimal balance between cost, size, and efficiency. The result is a solution that delivers tangible performance benefits to end customers in residential and commercial rooftop solar installations.
