US-based Enphase Energy announced on April 4 that it will start manufacturing its micro-inverters at a facility or production line operated by its outsourcing partner Flex in the Romanian city of Timisoara. This plan will be implemented in the first quarter of 2023. In its press release about this decision, Enphase said that it wants to expand its presence in Europe where there is rapidly rising demand for residential PV systems, EVs, and heat pump systems. The regional market for renewable energy is expected to keep growing as cost keep climbing for hydrocarbon-based energy.
Enphase has developed micro-inverters that enable control at the level of individual PV modules or battery units. The company also offers micro-grid solutions, battery energy storage systems, an app for managing generation and storage assets, etc.
Enphase and Flex first signed a license agreement in 2017, and their partnership has become tighter over a period of almost 15 years. Headquartered in Singapore, Flex is a major EMS provider with facilities in more than 40 countries.
Commenting on this decision, Badri Kothandaraman, president and CEO of Enphase, said that Europe and the rest of the world is the midst of a clean energy transformation. To accelerate the transition to a “more electrified future”, governments are setting ambitious targets that will spur the demand for Enphase’s solutions related to solar PV, battery energy storage, and EV charging. Kothandaraman also said that Flex has been a “strong partner” in helping Enphase to better serve its clients. Specifically, Flex has enabled Enphase to implement a global manufacturing strategy and maintain a high level of product quality.
Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, said that Enphase has trusted in his company for the manufacturing of high-quality and reliable products for a very long time. The partnership has thus expanded further. Going forward, Flex and Enphase will rapidly build up advanced manufacturing capacity in Europe while implementing “sustainable practices”.
Neither Enphase nor Flex has revealed more details about the micro-inverter production line in Timisoara. How much has been invested in the setup of the production line and the maximum production capacity are still unknown.