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Noting that the photovoltaic micro-inverter market is still in its infancy, IMS Research has forecasted a rapid period of growth of the next five years, reaching close to a US$700 million market in that timeframe. The market research firm said that micro-inverter products could be installed on over 1GW of module systems by 2013.

“These disruptive products offer a number of important advantages over traditional inverter topologies; and supply agreements have already been signed with major photovoltaic integrators and module suppliers,” noted Ash Sharma IMS Research Director. “However we anticipate, initially at least, that use of these products will be restricted to small roof-top applications that suffer from partial shading.”

Start-ups like SolarEdge Technologies and semiconductor firm National Semiconductor are now marketing micro-inverters and derivatives that are expected to capture new market opportunities from residential through to utility-scale solar plant applications.

“With this assumption, IMS Research still anticipates a significant market for these products, serving over 1 GW of global PV installations by 2013, more than 5% of the market,” added Sharma.