Maxim Solar Cell Optimizers Next Generation of Performance Optimization Residential & Commercial Rooftop

Maxim Solar Cell Optimizers Next Generation of Performance Optimization Residential & Commercial Rooftop

Maxim Integrated Overview 30 years of innovation and integration Began as Startup 1983 Fast Growing Analog Company Headquarters San Jose, California Employees 8,300 worldwide Global Presence 29 technology centers in 14 countries Market Cap $9.70b Annual Revenue $2.29 billion (trailing 12 months) 2 Maxim Integrated

Solar Cell Optimized Modules Conventional Bypass diode per 24 cells Maxim Optimizer chip per 24 cells Performance Simplicity Value Reliability MPPT per cell-string for most granular performance optimization Embedded in module, no added system complexity Highly integrated IC provides lowest cost optimizer Technology proven over 20 years in high reliability applications 3 Maxim Integrated

Finer MPPT Granularity Cell-String Optimizer Panel Optimizer Cell-String Optimizer Cell-String Optimizer Conventional or Gen1 Optimizer 85W + 85W - 5W = 165W 85W + 85W + 40W = 210W Gen2 Cell- String Optimizer Maxim technology optimizes each cell-string under any condition Conventional panels and Gen1 Optimizers bypass cells when they underperform Higher energy production, eliminates hot spots 4 Maxim Integrated

Improve the Panel Conventional Maxim Conventional Maxim Conventional Maxim Leaf Thermal Test IEC Hot Spot Testing Degradation Mitigation Optimize instead of bypass reduce stress and increase power output Eliminate hot spots and bypass diode failures Isolate impact of degraded cells: PID, cracks, aging, thermal degradation,... 5 Maxim Integrated

Shade Happens Nearby Shading Objects Debris and Soiling Row-to-Row Shading Most granular optimization ensures highest system output Increase energy production in real world conditions Cost effective solution consistently provides lower LCOE 6 Maxim Integrated

Shade and Soiling Field Trials Panel Type Production Loss Mesh screen emulating soiling Panel Type Production Loss Reference 18.9 kwh Maxim 18.5 kwh -2.4% Pole Shadow Reference 19.1 kwh Maxim 18.9 kwh -1.5% Panel Optimizer 15.8 kwh -16.4% Panel Optimizer 18.1 kwh -5.6% Maintains high energy production despite challenging conditions Significantly outperforms panel-level MPPT with repeated soiling patterns 7 Maxim Integrated

Energy Production (kwh) Energy Benefit Shade and Soiling Field Trials 1000 800 Monthly Energy Comparison Maxim OEM Maxim Gain 25% 20% 600 15% 400 10% 200 5% 0 0% Residential site with morning shading issue retrofitted to side-by-side trial Checkerboard pattern ensures equal exposure to morning shade profile Maxim string delivers energy improvement of +9.8% 8 Maxim Integrated

Ultimate Design Flexibility Directly combine strings of different length i.e. 10 panels in parallel with 12: +5% energy increase 1 Series connect panels facing different directions i.e. East panels in series with West panels: +12% energy increase 1 Series connect panels of different tilts i.e. 10 panels in series with 25 panels: +1.6% energy increase 1 1 From simulations of PV System in San Jose, CA Distributed MPPT enables flexible PV site design No performance penalty design; use the easiest installation 9 Maxim Integrated

Annual Energy Denser Systems Using Standard Panels Energy Production vs Density Conventional or Panel Optimizer Standard System +1-2% Energy High Density System +5-10% Energy Solar Cell Optimizer 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 Ground Coverage Ratio Mitigate effect of row shading and diffuse loss by isolating cell-strings Enables 10-20% denser rooftop systems with no performance penalty Achieve high kwh/m2 from a rooftop with low cost poly panels 10 Maxim Integrated

Operational Friendly Designed to work with standard string or central inverters > Continue to use multiple preferred suppliers > Cost reduce to single MPPT channel and transformer-less models No added installation complexity > Avoid installing external boxes > No networking hardware or setup headaches Only pay for extra features when they are needed > NEC2014 compliance through rapid shutdown solutions > DC monitoring integrated into inverter or combiner boxes 11 Maxim Integrated

Engineered Reliability Better Application Level Reliability Better Component Level Reliability Failure Prone Reliable By Design Overly Complex 12 Maxim Integrated More robust application performance than bypass diodes Avoids high heat dissipation in diode and PV cells Prevents thermal runaway failures Higher component reliability than 1 st generation optimizers Highly integrated; 100x less components, no unreliable electrolytics and no large transformers Built from mature semiconductor technology; billions of units shipped

Competitive Comparison Benefit Improves Panel Reliability Flexible System Design Broad Inverter Compatibility DC Monitoring Add only if needed Always included in cost Rapid Disconnect Add only if needed Always included in cost Relative Cost --- 13 Maxim Integrated