Two Japanese PV power firms have decided to stop use of Huawei inverters on information-safety concern, according to Nikkei News.
The paper reports that of 20 Japanese PV power firms, half are users of Huawei inverters, of which only three will continue using Huawei inverters, with the remaining five still undecided.
Since stepping into the field in 2012, Huawei has become a major player on the global inverter market, boasting 22% share, including 10% in Japan. PV inverter is a key component for PV power system, mainly for converting direct-current power generated by PV power devices into alternating-current power suitable for household usage.
Prospects of Huawei inverters, however, have been overshadowed by increasing concern over information safety associated with Huawei products. In Feb. 2019, 11 U.S. senators urged the U.S. government to extend the ban on the use of Huawei products by U.S. telecom firms to Huawei PV inverters, in order to safeguard the nation's power systems and infrastructural facilities. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has also called for allies not to employ Huawei equipment or communications network equipment of other Chinese suppliers.
One Japanese PV power firm which has decided to shun Huawei inverters attributes its decision to safety concern, while the other predicts that more and more other firms will take the same move.
Some firms, however, have resolved to stick to Huawei products, such as Orix which dismisses information-safety concern, citing the safeguard of Japan-made remote monitoring system.
The Japanese branch of Huawei refuted the alleged safety concern, saying it's groundless, without the backing of any evidence.
(Collaborative media: TechNews, first photo courtesy of Kārlis Dambrāns via Flickr CC BY 2.0)