Growth, Market Share and Dynamic Change in The PV Inverter Industry

The PV inverter market, once short of innovation, has seen a surge of investment in the last few years. Spurred by startup advances, established firms like SMA, Satcon, and National Semiconductor are developing new distributed PV electronics technologies in-house or through acquisition. This Special Report from Greentech Media, sponsored by Enphase Energy, takes a look at the state of innovation in the inverter market, VC investment activity, and the emerging leaders in the $2.4 billion PV inverter market.

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As the price of PV falls, the technology will become more competitively priced in Europe and the U.S. before its prices are competitive in China.

Third-Gen Thin-Film Solar Technologies: Forecasting the Future of Dye-Sensitized and Organic PV
October 8, 2009

Hot Startup »

Solar Startup Solasta Seeks Next Round

The solar firm was founded in 2006 with A round funding from Kleiner Perkins and claims its process could increase the efficiency of conventional amorphous silicon PV by up to 150 percent.

Manufacturing

Ampulse Raises $8M to Marry Silicon With Thin-Film Production

UPDATE: Ampulse’s new board member, Daniel Leff of Globespan Capital Partners, says Ampulse is on a “radically different cost curve.” The startup’s technology deposits a thin layer of monocrystalline silicon on a flexible sheet of metal.

Solar
Ucilia Wang November 3, 2009
LDK Solar Shares Dive as Q-Cells Demands Money Back

The German solar cell maker said LDK failed to deliver silicon wafers as promised, and is in legal dispute over the deposit it made to secure the supply back in 2007. UPDATE: LDK says Q-Cells wrongly terminated the contract.

Solar
Ucilia Wang November 2, 2009
SPI: Solar Quandaries and Strategies

Another Solar Power International has come and gone. This year was cautiously optimistic as the industry has begun to recover from a shaky 2008.

Solar
Frank Smith October 30, 2009
Is Energy the Key to China’s Brand Name Dreams?

China is moving from supplying equipment to building energy parks in the U.S. and financing them.

Solar
Michael Kanellos October 29, 2009
Masdar PV: First Commercial Project and Factory Expansion

The startup amorphous-silicon thin-film maker, backed by Abu Dhabi, plans to ship panels with two layers of amorphous silicon next year.

Manufacturing
Ucilia Wang October 29, 2009
What the Solar Industry Wants in a Climate Change Bill

The Solar Energy Industries Association is asking members to pony up for a big political battle against oil and coal industries.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 27, 2009
Green Jobs: Trickling In?

U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis outlines her department and other federal agencies’ efforts to create green jobs, but the full impact of these programs isn’t likely be felt until 2010.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 27, 2009
Enphase Creates Two-in-One Microinverter Pack

The startup has designed a new product that it says would cut time and labor costs, particularly for commercial systems.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 27, 2009
Cutting the Fat, and Cost, Out of Solar

Lose the rack, says Zep Solar. Where is that confounded module?

Startups
Michael Kanellos October 26, 2009
Solar Roundup: 6MW Solar Neighborhood, PG&E Buys 500MW

Solar companies have announced products, deals and manufacturing plans ahead of a major industry conference.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 26, 2009
72 Different Kinds of Solar Cells?

Efficiency is moving back to center stage, while Intermolecular says that the big guys are going to need the brains of the startups.

Startups
Michael Kanellos October 23, 2009
National Semi Buys Energy Recommerce

National Semi, which launched devices for boosting solar panel performance earlier this year, now adds power monitoring software and service to its offerings.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 22, 2009
First Solar IPO in Over a Year Is Coming

STR, an encapsulant maker in Connecticut that counts First Solar and SunPower among its customers, could raise $212.2 million

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 22, 2009
Solar Winners: Auto Parts Makers

Skyline Solar, which is raising another round of funding, lines up a car parts maker to produce its concentrating solar systems.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 22, 2009
Suntech Forms Alliances to Launch ‘Reliathon’ for Utility Market

The solar panel maker is packaging a new line of panels with trackers and inverters from other makers to entice project developers.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 21, 2009
First Solar Joins S&P 500

With the company joining the S&P 500 list, it’s hard not to notice that solar is getting downright mainstream.

Manufacturing
Michael Kanellos October 16, 2009
Siemens Buys Solel for $418M

The German version of General Electric makes a big play in solar thermal. Expect acquisitions to continue.

Manufacturing
Michael Kanellos October 15, 2009
Morgan Solar Raises $4.7M, Opens Pilot Line for CPV

The Toronto startup lines up Iberdrola as an investor and hopes to start shipping commercial solar concentrating systems in 2010.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 9, 2009
Solarion Plans for 10MW-Plus Commercial Line in 2010

The company has been producing CIGS thin films with plastic substrate at its 200-kilowatt pilot line, and is now set for commercial product launch next year.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 8, 2009
EU’s New Solar Plan Falls Short, Says Industry Group

The European Commission releases a new technology plan to curb carbon emissions, and includes a Smart Cities Initiative for the first time to promote energy efficiency measures.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 7, 2009