Global shipments of inverters fell by 5% in the second quarter of 2013 compared to the same period last year, the first drop in seven successive quarters, according to the latest data from IHS.
PV inverter shipments fell to 8.3GW in Q2 of 2013 compared to 8.7GW in Q2 of 2012 with IHS blaming the drop on a fall in demand in Europe.
EMEA shipments fell 40% in the first half of 2013, more than offsetting growth in other regions.
“The pace of contraction for inverter shipments in critical European countries such as Germany and Italy has been faster than expected, with some of these markets seeing their demand decline by more than 70% this year,” said Cormac Gilligan, senior PV market analyst, IHS.
“Some inverter suppliers have been very reliant on these historically large markets. Because of this, inverter suppliers are seeking new markets and have expanded their presence internationally in high-growth countries, including the US, China, Japan and India,” he added.
Inverter shipments to China jumped by 174% in Q2 of 2013.
