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.

Startups

Vela Solaris Tackles the Solar Puzzle

The Swiss startup licenses software for designing solar thermal heating and cooling or electric systems. Expect more software developers to jump into the solar market.

Solar
Ucilia Wang November 5, 2009
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
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
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
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
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
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
Feds Budget $750M for ‘Conventional’ Renewable Energy Generation

The new loan guarantee program will support as much as $8 billion in loans for power plants using more mature solar, wind and other technologies.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 7, 2009
Soliant Gets New CEO to Evangelize Concentrating PV

The California startup has a new chief executive at a time when it’s planning for commercial production in 2010.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 6, 2009
Dow to Roofers: Our Solar Shingles Are Coming

The chemical giant says it will launch shingles with CIGS cells in 2010 and plans to work first with homebuilders in North America.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 5, 2009
Solar Roundup: First Solar Sells Project, Evergreen Plagued by Crickets

First Solar is selling a 20-megawatt Canadian plant to a natural gas distributor. Meanwhile, REC says the market in 2010 will likely remain weak.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 2, 2009
Stirling Energy Sets for 2010 Mass Production, $2.2B Solar Thermal Project

The Arizona startup has signed up suppliers for two key components of its SunCatcher, which uses the Stirling engine to generate electricity.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 2, 2009
China Report: Solar Capacity Could Jump to 1GW or More by 2011

A new GTM Research report looks at the dynamics of China’s power industry and how they would affect the deployment of solar policies.

Solar
Ucilia Wang October 1, 2009
Nitride With Silicon: Think Solar Cells With 30% Efficiency

RoseStreet Energy Labs said it has created a prototype cell that combines gallium-nitride with silicon, a technology that it could license to silicon cell makers and produce on its own.

Solar
Ucilia Wang September 28, 2009
SolarCity Installs Electric Car Chargers Along Cal Highway

The solar energy system seller is entering the electric car charging business by buying SolSource Energy and doing a demonstration project with Tesla Motors and Rabobank.

Transportation
Ucilia Wang September 22, 2009
Feds Issue $550.4M Green Energy Cash Grants

The Treasury is doling out a second round of money for its cash-instead-of-tax credit program, benefiting not only renewable energy developers but also manufacturers such as Solyndra and Vestas.

Policy
Ucilia Wang September 22, 2009