Frost & Sullivan Recognizes TMEIC for its Global Leadership in the Solar Inverters Market
Based on its recent analysis of the solar inverter market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes TMEIC with the 2015 Global Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award for revolutionizing photovoltaic (PV) utility-scale solar inverter solutions in terms of market reliability, efficiency and productivity. The company’s visionary innovation, performance and customer impact have made it the market leader.
TMEIC has a comprehensive and industry-leading portfolio of PV inverters. In 2015, it launched the largest capacity PV inverters on the market for outdoor applications. The Solar Ware2300 and Solar Ware2500 with rated capacities of 2.3 and 2.5 megawatts (MW), respectively, have a maximum voltage of 1,500 volts (V) on the direct current (DC) side. In January 2016, the company released a 1MW model for the China, Japan and India markets. Coupled with the already commercialized 1.667MW model for the US market and the 0.75MW model for the Japan market, these new products have significantly elevated the company’s leadership position.
“TMEIC’s high-quality, cost-effective PV inverters deliver what is promised during the product’s life cycle: maximum overall power generation volume and minimum power generation costs,” said Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst Gautham Gnanajothi. “The value it offers customers is evident from the upsurge in orders, especially from repeat customers. During 2015, TMEIC’s regional sales in the US and India grew by an astounding 689 percent and 492 percent, respectively.”
The company’s excellence in analyzing emerging trends and developing actionable insights impact both its growth and that of the solar PV ecosystem value chain. For instance, TMEIC’s larger-capacity products give it first-mover advantage as the voltage of the DC circuit connecting solar panels in series slowly shift from 1,000V to 1,500V in North America and Europe, and from 600V to 1,000V in Japan. In fact, TMEIC’s dedication to identifying market gaps and developing solutions to meet the evolving needs of the end user means that its products are both ground breaking and ahead of its time.
By leveraging its technology and innovation excellence, TMEIC continues to outpace competition. The highly efficient maximum power point tracker (MPPT) of TMEIC’s PV panels is one of its key strengths. All insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) used in its inverters leverage the 3-level conversion circuit and feature a voltage resistance of 1,200V, which allows MPPT even in the high-voltage range. By employing this unique topology, the company is able to deliver solutions that maximize power generation volume, while achieving robust efficiencies and compact sizes.
TMEIC is the first company to incorporate a fan-less cooling technology in its PV inverters. Its advanced hybrid cooling system leverages natural air cooling to allow the inverter to run without a fan up to 50 percent load. TMEIC’s inverters are also equipped to handle salt erosion, which makes it ideal for deployment in oceanic regions, especially in remote islands. Impressively, these inverters can maintain maximum active power generation during the cloud-edge phenomenon that traditionally damages or shuts down inverter functioning. Further, TMEIC provides advanced control options through its main site controller (MSC). The ability to stop and restart operations and control the output and power factor remotely stabilizes the entire system by maintaining demand/supply balance.
“The company has an excellent global production/supply strategy, where the basic product design is developed in Japan, while the final specifications are determined by the design division of each regional plant,” noted Gautham. “Exporting key devices such as IGBTs from its main factory in Japan helps TMEIC maintain the highest product quality while manufacturing cost-competitively in plants outside Japan.”
For its excellence in the global market through its visionary innovations that provide the highest price/performance value to clients, TMEIC is the worthy recipient of Frost & Sullivan’s 2015 Company of the Year Award in the solar inverter market. Each year, this award is presented to the company that has demonstrated excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.
Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for outstanding achievement in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research.
