Did your inverter company leave you high and dry? What to do when your supplier pulls out of the market.

Further consolidation in the solar inverter landscape raises service and O&M uncertainty as reports of another global inverter provider ceasing sales in the U.S. 

The U.S. solar market is no stranger to consolidation among PV inverter manufacturers. Over the last few years we have seen many providers limit or even cease inverter sales entirely including once high-profile players like Satcon, Advanced Energy and others.

While some inverter providers have simply limited operations to specific markets and technologies, others have declared bankruptcy and terminated all operations. No matter the reason for exiting, changes in the inverter landscape can leave plant owners with concerns about their installed base including the long-term operational effectiveness and ROI of their PV plants.

Exiting companies often commit to maintaining warranty and technical service staff, however, questions remain about response time, spare parts availability and the longevity of a manufacturer’s commitment to service a market that it has long exited. With PV plant lifetime expectations at 25 years or more, plant owners can’t afford to take chances with their investments.

Never fear, SMA is here!

SMA is the leading provider of multivendor O&M solutions and has extensive experience servicing non-SMA equipment. Our O&M portfolio stands at nearly 4 GW and continues to grow by the day, due in part to the takeover of distressed PV plants that have seen an inverter manufacturer exit a market or go out of business entirely. If you have concerns about your PV plant’s performance, whether it has SMA inverters or not, contact Sales@SMA-America.com to discuss how SMA’s service solutions can safeguard your PV portfolio for the long haul.

Did you know, SMA also offers Repowering solutions? Often after only several years or even months in operation, PV plants can experience underperformance and excessive downtime. Repowering solutions from SMA identify the root causes of plant-wide issues and offer remediation options. Contact Repowering@SMA-America.com today to get your underperforming plant back on track.