Featured in In conversation – 08-2018

Inverter suppliers must innovate to survive

While PV inverter shipments are forecast to reach over 96 GW (AC) in 2018, market volatility is an ever-present feature of the global market, writes Cormac Gilligan, Research Manager for Solar and Energy Storage at IHS Markit. Installation declines in major markets like China and Japan, tariffs being proposed on Chinese products in the U.S, goods and services tax (GST) in India for all inverters being imported, and an ever-increasing global competitive landscape as Chinese suppliers are forced to rapidly internationalize are common market challenges.

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pv magazine

08 Aug 2018

IHS Markit expects an 18% drop in inverter demand in 2018, which has suppliers moving into new, high-growth areas including storage inverters, EV charging, and digital energy services. | Photo: SMA

The global PV inverter market is complicated due to specific country inverter certification in some markets, such as the United States and Japan where unique grid requirements like California’s Rule 21 and long-standing customer relationships can take some time to unlock. Collectively, this can act as a barrier to entry in the short term. Against this …

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