Inverters

U.S. President Donald Trump has asked trade officials to consider increasing import duties from 10% to 25% on a list of products from China, including inverters, AC modules and non-lithium batteries.

The company has brought its operating margin to below -1%, as it fends off component shortages, short sellers and potential tariffs.

The PV maker plans to shift its 800 MW of E-Series production to its new NGT technology, as it records a massive loss on depreciation of its old equipment. The move was revealed in second-quarter figures featuring plenty of red ink.

The Chinese solar PV inverter manufacturer officially opened its first non-domestic fab today: a 3 GW central and string inverter factory in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is targeting a 50% market share in India in 2019, and mulling setting up an R&D center in the country. pv magazine attended the inauguration.

GTM Research says the 10% tariffs that the Trump Administration is calling for are “significant”, and some companies and sectors will be affected more than others.

In an interview with pv magazine, managing director of the Italian central inverter specialist, Filippo Carzaniga discusses the company’s new strategy, explains the reasons for the listing. After delivering 1.5 GW of inverters in 2017, Fimer hopes to increase its shipment volume by around 10% this year, to between 1.6 GW and 1.7 GW.

The company is planning pilot U.S. inverter assembly in Texas, while it scouts for manufacturing locations in the U.S. Midwest.

Jayant Parimal is the CEO of Renewable Energy at Adani Enterprises, which has developed more than 1 GW of PV projects in India in partnership with Huawei. Recently, pv magazine caught up with Mr. Parimal in India to discuss the massive opportunities in the country, and Adani’s switch from central to string inverters.

The upstream technology company plans to sell silicon carbide for applications including advanced inverters for solar and battery storage, as part of a new emphasis on materials supply.

This year, The Smarter E made its debut this June 20 to 22 in Munich, Germany, bringing together existing exhibitions, Intersolar Europe and ees Europe, with two new events, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power. This change reflects both the strong shift towards storage, and the rapidly changing face of the overall energy industry. pv magazine hit the floors, attended the conferences and held two roundtables to discover the latest trends. Read on to discover our eight key takeaways (and one new buzzword).