Huawei makes largest year-on-year gains in global PV inverter market, IHS
Germany-based SMA, Switzerland-based ABB and Japan-based Omron were the top three global PV inverter suppliers in the first three quarters of 2014 based on market share, but Chinese telecommunications company Huawei made the largest gain in market share during the period, reports market research firm IHS. Despite SMA and ABB maintaining their first and second market-share rankings, both companies’ market share for the first three quarters of the year has declined since last year, with SMA losing 6 percentage points and ABB just over 1 point. At the same time, Huawei’s share of the global market grew by more than 2 percentage points. In its »PV Inverter Market Tracker« report, IHS notes that SMA’s limited market share in China and Japan and a rapid decline in ABB shipments to Germany, Italy and other key European markets led to the two market leaders’ weaker performance. Meanwhile, Huawei’s growth in global market share is largely attributed to gains in the domestic Chinese market, where the company has quickly become one of the leading suppliers. Total inverter shipments in China increased steadily in the third quarter of 2014 to reach 4.8 GW. TBEA Sunoasis, Sungrow and other Chinese inverter suppliers have also benefited from the surge in domestic shipments. In terms of revenue, Japan was the largest PV inverter market. »Global PV inverter supplier rankings have changed substantially over the past 12 months, led by large gains from Japanese, Chinese and module-level power electronic suppliers,« concluded Cormac Gilligan, senior analyst for PV inverter research at IHS. »Suppliers with a major presence in the United States, Japan, China, and other high-growth markets were some «of the biggest year-over-year gainers, while those who were heavily reliant on Germany, Italy, and other countries that previously led the market lost considerable market share.« In the microinverter and power optimizer markets, Enphase and SolarEdge continued to see strong market share growth due to strong demand in the US, Europe and in other international markets.