Tough Times Ahead for PV Inverter Incumbents
Nicholas Rinaldi
April 18, 2013
A new 225-page report from GTM Research finds that, over the next three years, leading PV inverter suppliers will be pinched by shifts in global demand and the continued swing toward low-price market segments and geographies. This swing will push PV inverter prices down, from a global blended average of $0.22 per watt in 2012 to just $0.14 per watt in 2016 — a compound annual reduction of 10 percent.
GTM Research’s report, titled The Global PV Inverter Landscape 2013, finds that incumbent PV inverter manufacturers remain at the front of the market today, with low-cost players from Asia and diversified giants gaining ground as PV demand expands globally.
GTM Research Top 10 Competitively Positioned PV Inverter Companies
1. SMA
2. Power-One
3. Schneider Electric
4. SunGrow
5. Advanced Energy (REFUsol)
6. ABB
7. TMEIC
8. KACO New Energy
9. Chint Power
10. Fronius
The report’s ranking is based on key qualitative metrics that measure each company’s product offering, bankability, and growth prospect alignment. While this year’s ranking is lead by incumbent vendors, these companies are facing increased competition and collapsing margins brought on by global oversupply, diffusion of PV demand away from European markets, and the commercialization of advanced technologies such as module-level power electronics (MLPE).
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