According to the World Market for Photovoltaic (PV) Inverters – 2010 Edition, the global PV inverter market grew by 14.8% in 2009 to reach USD$2.9 billion; with 8.3 GW of inverters shipped.
The report says inverter growth in all countries studied except one are predicted to jump by almost 70% in 2010, with three-phase inverters likely to see fastest growth over the next five years. Shipments are predicted to exceed 15 GW by 2014.
High growth is also predicted for small three-phase inverters (10-35kW) due to recent regulatory changes in Germany; in particular the recent amendments to feed in tariff legislation. Microinverters & DC-DC power optimisers are forecast to grab increasing market share this year, mainly in small roof-top solar power applications.
SMA retained its title as the world’s largest PV inverter supplier, increasing its share to more than 37% in 2009; however the report says there could be a major shuffle in the top manufacturer rankings this year due to limited production capacity faced by many inverter manufacturers.
The grid connect inverter shortage has been the result of a rush on solar power installations in Germany, increased interest in solar power as the effects of the global financial crisis wears off, an increasing number of governments offering solar rebates and issues affecting manufacturers in sourcing electronic components and semiconductors.
The full “World Market for Photovoltaic (PV) Inverters – 2010 Edition” report is available from IMS Research
