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

Matt Marxby Matt Marx (guest post), , 6 Comments

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.

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This article was published in 2019. As we are constantly developing our solutions, there may be newer or additional options for the tips and techniques in this article.

6 Comments
  1. sam oundo
    sam oundo says:

    Hello Sir/Madam
    Good days to you.
    We are a procurement & Logistics company with a chain of clients with whom we do procure for them goods and services within the Great Lakes Region of East and Southern Africa. In this regards, we are looking for a manufacturer or supplier for the following below:

    WATER HEATERS

    SOLAR GEL BATTERIES 12V 200AH

    AMG BATTERIES

    SOLAR PANELS 250-400WTSS MONO AND POLY

    OFF GRID INVERTERS / CHARGERS

    SOLAR STREET LIGHTS

    MPTT CHARGER CONTROLLERS

    So please confirm the prices in Euro/USD for the above with terms CIF to Dar el Salaam Port /of Tanzania(East Africa)There after we shall discuss with our client and then forward to you the details in which you will issue a proforma invoice.

    Awaiting for your swift response towards establishing long term relationship with your prestigious company.

    Best regards

    OUNDO SAM
    logistiky ltd
    P. O. Box 48876-00100,
    Nairobi, Kenya
    Tel: +256706290451

    Email :sales@logistiky.com

    Reply
  2. LK Verma
    LK Verma says:

    Solar power systems happen to be designed for decades, but possess truly become popular with all the average home owner recently. Adjustments as well as enhancements in the engineering help make these modern solar power systems far more effective, a smaller amount extensive and more long lasting than ever before.

    Regards
    LK Sharma
    CEO,PowernSun
    https://powernsun.com/

    Reply
  3. Neal Stachowicz
    Neal Stachowicz says:

    Is anyone working the issue of letting solar panels to provide power to the home when the grid goes down? By this I don’t mean the secure power that sma sunny boy provides. I am curious if anyone is thinking of allowing the net meter to isolate the home from the grid so the whole power of the solar system is available to the home (if needed -like with the sma secure power). Marrying this with an electric car could keep the home minimally powered through existing wiring without extension cables in a grid power outage. Thoughts?

    Reply

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