The PV inverter market has achieved remarkable growth in the past few years.

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IMS Research PV analyst Tom Haddon commented “Recently, demand for PV inverters in commercial installations appears to be splitting into two clear categories: very small three-phase products or very large central inverters.” “While mid-sized central inverters offer a lower initial investment cost, shipments of inverters in the 10-20kW range have increased massively in 2010, with a range of new models being released by major suppliers such as SMA, Kaco, SolarMax and Power-One. These products offer greater system design flexibility, easier installation and higher energy yields, and also better grid integration, a crucial factor given the medium voltage directive and reactive power legislation in Germany.”, Haddon added.

Although it is forecast that these units will lose some market share to larger central inverters in the longer term as the emerging markets of the USA, India and China drive demand for MW sized sub-stations, in the medium term, smaller three-phase models are forecast to be one of the prime revenue generators as their adaptable nature can be applied to installations ranging from small commercial to multi-megawatt utility-scale installations.

Source: IMS Research