SMA surpasses 10 GW of inverters installed in North America

The German inverter manufacturer has reached the impressive landmark of installing 10 GW of solar inverters across North America, after an incredible installed capacity increase of 33% in less than a year, all the while Chinese competitors challenge its market share supremacy.

November 8, 2016 Sam Pothecary

Image: Stapleton

It has been another impressive 12 months for solar inverter market leader SMA Solar, as it announces another notable milestone in the North American marker. It has now installed over 10 GW of inverters across the continent, owing much its success to its rich selection of solar solutions and high level of engineering.

The German company launched in North America back in 2000, and soon became the prominent inverter manufacturer on the market. Enjoying steady success over the years, a recent boom the solar industry has seen its installed capacity soar, increasing by an impressive 33% in less than a year.

The company places much of its success on its flexible product selections, which includes turnkey solutions for utility power plants, three-phase inverter technology, and string-inverters for residential application. Owing to this rich selection, it believes that it has appeal to the majority of solar industry actors.

“SMA is the clear market leader in North American with a market share of 30%,” commented SMA CEO Pierre-Pascal Urbon. “Customers trust in SMA’s expertise and appreciate our local presence. Due to our complete product portfolio we do not have to force the customer to buy only string-inverters. Instead, we strive to find the technically best solution to lower the consumer cost of electricity.”

The company has also talked up its operation and maintenance services as a key to its success. It believes that offering these services alongside the technology shows that it will support its clients throughout the whole process and after installation.

Taken into a global context, SMA Solar is still top of the pile with a 14% share of the total global inverter revenue in 2015. In terms of shipments, China’s Huawei is leading the way, but due to lower average selling prices for inverters in China, Huawei’s revenues were not able to top SMA’s. However, the company is starting to expand its presence in foreign markets, which could see it soon challenge SMA at the top of the revenue chart, as well as the shipment leaderboard.

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