As the number of PV systems already in operation for several years grows, demand for “revamping” by replacement off all the inverters in a project is estimated at several gigawatts per year and expected to increase rapidly through the 2020s.

There are a number of reasons why project owners are taking interest in this strategy. In some cases, older inverters may simply be underperforming, or may be struggling to get hold of replacement parts for models no longer manufactured or suppliers that have since left the market. For younger projects as well, issues with poor installation, system design or product quality also lead owners to consider inverter placement.

Revamping a project with new inverters has already been shown to pay off, and as demand begins to broaden from regions such as Italy, Germany and Spain that have a larger based of projects more than five years old, pv magazine is partnering with Sungrow to take a look into the advantages and potential pitfalls of inverter replacement.

Roberto Arana-Gonzalez, Service Sales Manager EMEA at Sungrow will offer a brief introduction to the company and Sungrow’s services in the revamping segment. And we’ll be joined by Franco Marino, Sungrow’s Regional Service Manager for Italy, who will take us further into the detail: Marino will examine the process including replacing old central inverters with string products, and other value-added services offered by Sungrow.

And this will be backed up with experience from the field with the O&M specialized service provider Stern Energy. We’ll hear from Andrea Bandini, Head of O&M for Italy, and Alfredo Beggi, Head of Sales & Development on a couple of successful projects in Italy, that are already up and running with shiny new Sungrow inverters.

pv magazine Webinar content

• Revamping – what is it and why is it needed?
• Sungrow’s approach, solutions and products
• After implementation – O&M and value-added services
• Success stories
• Q&A

Questions can be submitted beforehand or during the webinar through a chat window. Mark Hutchins from pv magazine will be the moderator of this webinar.

pv magazine Webinars are free of charge.

Speakers

Roberto Arana-Gonzalez | Service Sales Manager EMEA, Sungrow

I came to Germany 12 years ago for studying and working on solar technologies. Since then, I continue to be a PV enthusiast and have gathered experience working with leading inverter manufacturers, asset managers and (energy) construction companies. To ensure that all PV plants achieve its economical and environmental objectives, it is important to care for the plant life cycle. Together with Sungrow, we are now proactively promoting revamping of old plants with our newer solutions and therefore contributing to achieve “clean power for all”.

Franco Marino | Regional Service Manager Italy, Sungrow

Since 2010, I work in the PV post-sale Department. I gained on-site experience thanks to the several commissioning of utility-scale plants, which let me interact with very different scenarios. I am involved in revamping business most of the time.

Andrea Bandini | Head of O&M Italy, Stern Energy

Andrea is responsible for all the technical management of the entire plant portfolio. Andrea coordinates a team of 20 people who preside over the monitoring activities, Emergency Services, O&M and unscheduled services, as well as all sub-suppliers. He follows relationship with key clients and he also follows the contractual obligation for the O&M contracts. Andrea is responsible for technical due diligence and technical activities for the new PV plant acquisitions of Stern Energy companies.

Moderators

Mark Hutchins | Magazine Director, pv magazine