ABB has expanded the production of its solar inverters by opening a production line in India to support the rapidly growing local photovoltaic (PV) market. The first orders from new production line have been delivered already and over 200 megawatts (MW) of orders is booked.
The new production line for ABB’s central inverter PVS800 product range was opened at the ABB facilities in Bangalore, India at the end of 2012. The production capacity of the line is more than 500 MW annually. Due to the industrial design of the inverters, which is optimized for manufacturability, possible production line extensions can be considered quickly and easily according to market needs.
The Indian PV market is one of the most rapidly growing solar power markets in the world. The long-term commitment of the Indian government to developing a sound and healthy PV market makes it reasonable for ABB to expand production. “With this new production facility we can support our customers in India with even more rapid delivery times and provide faster support for varying project needs,” says Antti Suontausta, ABB’s global product group manager for renewable energy power converters. “On-time execution and delivery of projects is vitally important for customers, especially now when the market is booming,” he continues.
“The new production line already has over 200 MW of orders, with the first inverters being delivered to customers before the end of 2012,” says Mr. KN Sreevatsa, the local business unit manager for ABB Power Conversion in India. “ABB’s solar inverter range is complemented by local solutions and products, such as string monitoring junction boxes, SCADA monitoring and a control system package, all of which helps ABB stand out from other inverter manufacturers. Additionally, medium- and high-voltage transformers and grid connection equipment, as well as complete substations for ABB central inverters, can be offered. ABB central inverters are also supported through a local service organization in India spanning the entire value chain from pre-purchase to installation and maintenance,” continues Mr. KN Sreevatsa.
Since the end of 2011, over 100 MW of ABB central inverters have been installed in India. After the latest orders, the installed base of ABB central inverters in India will increase rapidly. Biggest single plant to use ABB central inverters will be now approximately 60 MW and is run by one of the key EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractors in India.
The ABB central inverter series, rated from 100 to 630 kW, is designed for multi-megawatt PV power plants as well as large PV installations on commercial and industrial buildings. The inverter series is based on ABB’s highly successful frequency converter platform. This platform already has global sales of well over 100 GW over the last ten years. In India alone, this means approximately 7 GW of already-installed capacity.