EQ In Exclusive Conversation With Ms. Lisa Zhang, Marketing Director at Growatt
- How much Inverters have you supplied to India till now, what is the target/expectation in 2020-2021
As of August, our total shipments in the Indian market are close to 3GW
- Please share your Road Maps – Pricing, Technology etc…
Growatt is a new energy enterprise dedicated to the R&D and manufacturing of PV inverters including on grid, offgrid and storage inverters, and user side smart energy management
solutions as well. The power capacity of Growatt on grid inverters ranges from 750W to
250 kW, meanwhile its off grid and storage inverters cover a power range from
1 kW to 630 kW.
- What are your views on BIS and other tariff barriers
Currently has no effect on us
- What are your views on Inverters – Make in India
The inverters currently on the market mainly come from China, Europe and the United States. China has the advantages of electronic components, which is conducive to the production of inverters.
- World Market Scenerio including China and its impact on pricing and availability of inverters in 2020-2021Expected Pricing & Availability in 2021 ?
The inverters produced in China are much cheaper than those produced in Europe and America. The profit of inverters is very low and there is no room for downward adjustment.
- Currently 10GW + Solar Projects are in the offing, Whats your plan to Capture this opportunity.
We mainly sell our products to installers or traders in India. We provide quality products, technical support and localized services to help them get local projects.
- What according to you is the current opportunities, biggest challenges, in Indian Solar Market.
The biggest challenge at the moment is the impact of the new Covid-19 virus. India’s installation volume this year will be lower.
- Expectations from Indian Government Budget next year ?
Stay the same as this year
- Aggressive Bidding despite of many challenges enlisted above, what is your view/opinion
Inverters account for a small price in the entire photovoltaic system, and Chinese inverters are cheap and of good quality, and bidding has little impact on inverters
- The recent aggressive bidding by various developers keeping Solar Tariffs in the price range of Rs.2.36-3.3 per kWh in various Solar Tenders…Whats your view on the viability, Costs & timeline pressures, Resource Challenges (Materials, ManPower, Execution, Grid Connection, Land Possession) etc…
- Kindly enlighten our readers on the performance of your Inverters in India in various geographic locations, customer feedback,.
Gujarat， Tamil Nadu， Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana
Customers’ evaluation of us is very good, the product quality is stable, the efficiency is very good, and it can bring good benefits to users
- Present some noteworthy projects, case studies of solar plants built using your solar Inverters
India-based Navalakha Translines chose Growatt’s string inverters for its
6 MW ground mounted plant in the Osmanabad district of Maharashtra
- Please describe in brief about your company, directors, promoters, investors, its vision & mission
Growatt is a new energy enterprise dedicated to the R&D and manufacturing of PV inverters including ongrid, offgrid and storage inverters, and user side smart energy management
solutions as well. Our vision is to be the world’s leading smart energy supplier
- What is the size of your company in terms of manufacturing capacities, growth chart, future expansion plans, revenues, shipments, ASP’s, financial figures,
We are building a new factory, which is expected to officially start in December this year, and will provide 20GW of production capacity per year.
- What are your plans for India, your view on the GOI target of 100GW Solar Power by 2022
We think it is a bit difficult to reach the 100GW target in 2020, because this year’s installation volume is affected by the epidemic and the tariff situation is still unclear
- What are your plans for Manufacturing set up in India, the opportunities and challenges in manufacturing in India
We have no plans to make in India
- Briefly describe the various technologies and its suitable applications such as Central Inverter, String, Micro Inverter, 1500V, Outdoor, Container solutions etc..
In the past, we mainly produced string inverters, which were used in rooftop photovoltaic plant
This year we also launched a 1500V power station for ground power plant
- How much is your R&D budget as % of your sales / profits
We will invest 10% of our annual operating income for R&D
- What are the top 5 markets for your company in the past, present and future
Now our 5 most important markets are Europe, Latin America, Australia, China, India
These markets will still be our important markets in 3 years
- Kindly comment of Energy Storage as a game changer, its technology, cost trends…etc…
The biggest obstacle to energy storage is the price. The price of lithium batteries remains high. Currently, only the European, American and Australian markets are the only markets. Energy storage has developed well due to policy stimulus. Other countries currently do not have the conditions for large-scale development of energy storage.
- Do you also bring financing solutions for your customers ?
No
- What are the trends in new manufacturing technology equipment, materials, processes, innovations etc…
Inverter technology has been very mature. In recent years, technological changes have mainly been in housing materials and online operation and maintenance. The shell material is changed from metal material to lighter and more durable polymer material, and online fault judgment is more comprehensive.
- Whats your commitment towards the solar sector in India
We will provide high-quality and stable products to ensure long-term benefits for users
- What will be the cost, technology trends in solar inverters
The price of the inverter is now very low and the technology is very mature
