Chinese inverter manufacturer Sungrow today launched its SG125CX-P3 string inverter, designed for use in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector at the Intersolar Europe trade show.
The 125kW inverter has a 98.5% conversion efficiency and improves energy yield by “continuously scanning the full power curve” to optimise the work of the inverter’s Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). Sungrow claims that this continuous scanning can increase energy yield by up to 2%.
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The company also points to the inverter’s “comprehensive active protection architecture” to help ensure system operation, including a patented anti-condensation technology that aims to reduce the risk of short circuits and system failures in more humid environments. The inverter also includes a “module-level insulation fault localisation” process that Sungrow claims can reduce inspection and maintenance time at solar systems where the inverter is in operation by up to 95%.
The launch of the new inverter follows the re-entry of Swiss company ABB into the inverter space, which unveiled a new power conversion portfolio, dubbed Proteus, last week, a decade after divesting from the industry.
European project developers, in particular, are keen to source inverters from European manufacturers, in part due to growing cybersecurity concerns over relying on imports from a single country, such as China. In the ‘PV InverterTech Bankability Ratings’ report, published by PV Tech Market Research, Sungrow was one of two companies, alongside Huawei, which jointly held over half of the global inverter market share.
Indeed, European developers have invested in local inverter manufacturing—Europe passed 100GW of operational inverter manufacturing capacity earlier this year, according to PV Tech Market research—and it remains to be seen what demand for new inverters from Chinese manufacturers will be in Europe.
Sungrow has also sought to diversify its product line in recent months. Earlier this month, the company launched its first “smart module” product, dubbed Pulson, which, according to the company, is the world’s first self-developed high-efficiency smart module.
As is often the case, this year’s Intersolar event has been accompanied by a plethora of product launches, including a suite of products from German inverter manufacturer SMA Solar and new modules from Chinese firms LONGi and Aiko. Read all of our coverage of Europe’s biggest solar trade show here.
