As solar lab researchers one-up each other with sub-percent increases in PV efficiency, Act Solar is focusing on array management. They say their PowerString technology can output 40-80% more total power over the lifetime of a PV system.

According to the company's website, the output of the average solar array drops by half in year 20, even though each module is still capable of producing 90% of its day-one energy. The reason is that PV installations are finicky beasts that easily fall out of balance, resulting in sub-par performance.

The PowerString technology actively manages the system by zapping small amounts of electricity around to provide balance. Recent tests find that this technique produces an average of 6-11% more power. It's kind of like a solar smart grid.

Act Solar says a 1 megawatt PV plant contains 5,000 solar modules, 12,000 connectors and 10 miles of wiring, so it's no wonder that it's difficult to keep things humming along. And modding your rooftop raycatcher is much cheaper than increasing capacity by adding another module.

PV is a crowded, competitive marketplace. I think Act Solar's approach, making an existing technology better, is a winner. Look for them to shine in the near future.