After the PV policy was issued in 2019, the domestic PV market entered a period of coexistence of bid subsidies and parity projects. Market conditions are making a steady progress. On the one hand, the PV market is on the rise.
The grid-parity that promotes PV prices is showing a downward trend, so low-priced products have become the “hot cakes” on the market. On the other hand, in the first quarter of 2019, the country registered 5.2GW of newly installed PV capacity. The installed capacity of distributed PV totals 53%, exceeding the centralized PV by 6% in the market, and the market share of household PV is also growing.
Distributed PV accounts for half of the newly installed capacity. Distributed PV and low price have become the focus of attention in the domestic PV industry. It meets the technical ideas of AISWEI New Energy Technology (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as AISWEI), who deeply invests in the commercial and industrial inverter market.
Wu Sheng-Weng, vice president of product technology at AISWEI, said: “With the grid-parity trend, AISWEI, who has been working in the domestic inverter industry for 12 years, will jump on the distributed PV bandwagon while remaining true to its foundations, maintain its German technology and standards, and continue to be highly stable and cost-effective in promoting PV grid-parity in China.
Honing in on market segmentation for win-win results
Inverter is a key component in PV systems. Thus, innovations in inverter technology is a top priority in the industry. During the 2019 SNEC, AISWEI befittingly developed and launched ASW15K-LT/20K-LT, a new generation of household inverters. The key technologies of the product were upgraded. Compared to the previous generation 20KW, the size was reduced by nearly 30% and the weight by nearly 40%. Its total installation without open lid makes it easier to use as well. Furthermore, its high output overload and DC/AC ratio reduce the cost of energy of the power station, thereby increasing the internal rate of return of the power station investment.
Wu Sheng-Weng mentioned: “The company values research and development and improvement in technology. We invest more than ten percent of our gross sales in research and development every year. We adhere to high standards, strict requirements and apply the most stringent testing standards in Germany that are above industry requirements to make high quality and highly reliable products. In the PV industry with rapid iterative process of technology, we are progressing steadily.
In terms of market strategy, AISWEI focuses on exceptional customers who value power generation and power station quality, providing customers with the lowest LCOE and optimal system solutions. AISWEI works with large regional distributors and big companies to expand its sales channels and promote the brand. During the SNEC, AISWEI teamed up with Risen Energy, TÜV Rheinland, and Inner to explore new opportunities and motivations.
Currently, AISWEI has devised an integrated solution for the three settings: household power stations, commercial roofing, and industrial-grade medium voltage grid-tie. With the company’s exclusive PV power station design system and cloud-based application, AISWEI can provide customers with optimal configuration design that tailor to their demands very quickly.
Building a future with ingenuity
As grid-parity progresses in China’s PV market, and with the general decline in PV product prices, companies must bid for PV projects in a low-cost competition to expand their business. The price war will inevitably exert tremendous pressure on the quality and cost of company products.
“With the parity trend, everyone is trying to reduce costs. Companies may reduce costs by sacrificing the performance and quality of product components. However, the life cycle of a PV power station is more than just a couple of years, it is 25 years,” said Wu Sheng-Weng. “In 2019, AISWEI first introduced a standard 6-year warranty in China, which provides customers with one more year of warranty than regular inverters for free. This shows customers that we can guarantee product quality while reducing costs.”
In addition, AISWEI is proven to be the leader in inverter quality. The inverters that the company sold in Thailand have been running steadily for more than ten years. In an environment of high-temperature and high-humidity all year round, the performance of the products is consistent with the same products sold later, and the quality is excellent.
At present, AISWEI’s position in the Chinese market falls under medium and high-end products. Wu Sheng-Weng said: “Although our prices are not the lowest in the market, the little bit of extra price is next to nothing compared to the increased power generation in an entire cycle of the power station, reduction in failure rate that causes energy loss and the maintenance cost saved, so it is a worthy investment. We will provide more practical benefits to customers.
“‘That’s Way to Energize’ is our vision at AISWEI. We bring forth new products and constantly improve to provide high-quality inverters to everyone. Starting with the entire life cycle of the power station, we provide customers with greater overall benefits and promote grid-parity. Our company will continue to focus on the PV industry, practice craftsmanship, be committed to our customers, continuously innovate and produce more efficient and reliable PV inverters, and provide advanced system solutions to welcome the advent of grid-parity,” said Wu Sheng-Weng.