Global Microinverter and DC Optimizer Market to Surpass 5GW in 2017
Microinverters and DC optimizers (collectively known as module-level power electronics, or MLPE) comprise one of the newest and fastest-growing sectors in the solar industry.
In a new report, The Microinverter and DC Optimizer Landscape 2014: The Evolution from Market Niche to Market Success, GTM Research forecasts global microinverter and DC optimizer shipments to surpass 5 gigawatts by 2017, up from 1.1 gigawatts in 2013.
FIGURE: Global MLPE Shipments (MW) by Technology, 2012-2017
According to the report, 2014 marks a transition year as the MLPE category ends its first chapter, in which dozens of startups entered the market promising to increase energy yield, improve system reliability, and provide granular monitoring. By the end of 2013, many of these companies went dormant, bankrupt, or are undergoing significant restructuring, while three leaders emerged; Enphase Energy, SolarEdge Technologies, and Tigo Energy in a distant third. These three companies accounted for 88 percent of capacity shipped in 2013.
In the new chapter of MLPE described by GTM Research, the incumbent firms are executing new strategies to evolve beyond their initial base demand to stay ahead of a new group of well-funded competitors. The product value propositions are shifting to an entirely new set of more nuanced "“ and more valuable "“ areas, including installer operational throughput, design flexibility, and cost reduction in labor and electrical balance of systems.
