Press release 2009

THE INVERTER INDUSTRY AT INVEX 2009
Press release no. 159/09
(23/10/2009)

Annual growth of Il 25%: this is the figure of a sector, that of inverters, in which Italy is one of the most important worldwide manufacturers.

In order to input energy from renewable sources in the grid, all plants need a fundamental element: an inverter. A strategic component with a lively market; in Europe the forecasts from Frost & Sullivan for 2008 on the sales results of this fundamental component, for example, for photovoltaics and wind energy - able to convert DC electricity generated from sunlight into AC electricity for the connection to the electricity grid - are destined to grow 25% annually from 2007 to 2014.
"When we speak about inverters for the production of electricity from renewable sources," explains Francesco Groppi, Head of Work Group 2-Inverter', Italian Electro-technical Committee, CT82 and teacher at the Milan Polytechnic, we automatically think about photovoltaic applications, because it is in this field that the electronic industry must face the most important challenges in terms of performance, flexibility, reliability and costs."
"In recent years, we have seen the development of new technical solutions that have enabled to considerably increase some of the most important characteristics of photovoltaic inverters, such as efficiency, electrical safety, immunity to disturbances and electrical surges and weather resistance."
The race for improvements is not finished yet," says Groppi, "competition among builders will remain close with regards to important characteristics such as efficiency for low loads, precision and speed of research for the highest power level of photovoltaic generators, the use of multiple entrance sections and electro-magnetic compatibility. It is also important to highlight some new proposals in the field of power conversion such as, for example, yield optimizers for single photovoltaic modules in the various types already available.
Last, but not least, let’s not forget that the aesthetic design of inverters has now become an important aspect where this device can now be found in our homes along with other objects."
In this way a strongly competitive market with high innovation levels is taking shape. This can obviously have many advantages: for example, a price that is destined to decrease and new, more sophisticated products being developed. This is also confirmed by Valerio Natalizia, Managing Director of SMA Italia: "Inverters are the heart of each and every photovoltaic plant, an indispensable component and, as such, must guarantee the highest performance and reliability to ensure the best yield and a fast payback time. The production of inverters also means doing business. And, therefore, we producers must foresee the needs of the market and start up new trends in technology, always placing the client at the centre of our attention. Expanding continuously our product range enables us to keep up with the dynamic development of the market. To respond in time to the oscillations of demand we must combine investments in research and development with the search for operational excellence by means of highly flexible production. Innovation means anticipating the trends, putting products of the future on the market today, above all in a period like now, in which inverters are becoming more and more an element of intelligent control also able to carry complex supplementary functions, such as the monitoring of plants and the setting of the grid."
To take stock of this rapidly expanding market, the inverter world is meeting on Tuesday 24 November at the Congress Centre of fieramilano, Rho, with INVEX 2009 the first event in the world dedicated to the inverter industry, which will be held the day before the inauguration of EnerSolar+, the international fair on solar energy, and HTE-Hi.Tech.Expo, the first event dedicated to science, research and advanced technologies.
Inverter Day will be dedicated to installers of solar power plants and will deal with all aspects connected to the choice of inverters, their parameters, payback times, their use also with thin film, possible developments in the integration of photovoltaics in the electricity grid, efficiency of anti-islanding protection of photovoltaic inverters connected to the Italian electricity grid, up to the most innovative applications for mini wind energy plants and fuel cells.

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