Solar panel production and the LabView/FPGA role

Every good semiconductor manufacturer that still retains its own fab has developed a Plan B in the last five years emphasizing solar PV cell or panel production. But I bet you never thought an FPGA from any of the fabless companies currently producing them would end up playing a role in solar panel production optimization. Well these days, everyone’s gone green.

The key here is the relationship between National Instruments Inc. and Xilinx Inc., in particular the FPGA Module offered by NI as a key part of the LabView environment. We’ve written about the broad LabView use of such tools in the past.  Now, Design News is carrying an article on the use of NI signal-acquisition tools to observe silicon particles in a purification reactor, something that has helped optimize manufacturing at Siliken Renewable Energy. You never know how deeply embedded you might find a role for advanced FPGAs.