inverters

SolarEdge and SMA’s launches of inverters compatible with Tesla’s Powerwall and LG Chem’s new range mark a “growing trend” towards higher voltage batteries for residential PV systems, an IHS analyst has said.

Global shipments of PV inverters will reach 90GW by 2020, valuing at more than US$7.1 billion, according to GTM Research’s latest report, 'The Global PV Inverter and MLPE Landscape 2016'. This represents an average annual growth rate of 11% between 2016 and the end of the decade.

Despite preparing investors’ expectations for flat revenues in 2016, inverter maker SMA Solar Technology has reported an increase in sales for the first quarter and exceeded management expectations by more than €10 million (US$11.4 million).

Chinese tech giant and inverter manufacturer Huawei is looking to reinforce its market share in Asia beyond China with a high-level conference held in Bangkok recently.

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has qualified 17 solar equipment manufacturers to receive funding in Brazil.

Germany-based inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology is setting up a subsidiary in Brazil, which will provide residential, commercial and utility-scale solar solutions as well as other services in the Latin American country.

In addition to launching a residential energy management and PV self-consumption package for the home compatible with Tesla’s Powerwall, power optimiser specialist SolarEdge launched a lightweight inverter late last year utilising the Israel-headquartered firm’s new HD Wave technology.

The former VP of Solar Grid Storage has predicted average Balance of Systems (BoS) costs for energy storage will drop from around US$670 to less than US$400 per kilowatt in the next five years.

The prospect of a 30MW solar inverter may seem a long way off, but it is very much in the sights of power electronics giant GE.