本文摘要：Wellingborough, UK – 24th August 2011: PV inverter suppliers continued to suffer in Q2’11 with industry...

Geographic changes in PV inverter demand were found to have had a two-fold effect on industry prices. Firstly, several low-cost markets, such as India and China gained share of the global market, causing a slide in prices. Secondly, many of the largest suppliers continued their refocus away from the stagnating German market and turned their attentions to smaller emerging markets. “Suppliers effectively tried to buy market share in new, emerging markets, hoping to establish themselves there in the longer-term, but perhaps making short-sighted and aggressively low quotes”, commented Sharma. Interviews with major integrators revealed that some leading inverter suppliers in a new, small European market were reducing prices by more than 45% to fend off rivals.

Of course the effects of the expanding supplier base and the vast number of inverter suppliers fighting for customers amidst weak demand has helped to drive down prices and will continue to exert pressure on suppliers to reduce costs and prices in order to compete. “Only part of the price declines seen this year can be blamed on geographic and product mix changes”, claimed Sharma, “the fact is that prices declined in all regions in Q2 and quite rapidly in established markets such as Germany and Italy due to lower demand, but increased supply. That can only lead to prices going one way”, added Sharma.

Despite the growing number of inverter suppliers, in Q2 market leader SMA Solar Technology recaptured some of the market share it had shed the prior quarter, with its share increasing by 8% to again control more than 30% of the of overall market. “Whilst SMA has always looked to compete on technology, brand and value-add products, it did also show in Q2 that it could compete with its rivals on price too. How much lower it can go remains to be seen however” concluded Sharma.

Quarterly analysis of global PV inverter market is available from IMS Research’s Quarterly PV Inverter Supply & Demand Report.