Mitsubishi Electric enters North America PV inverter market

Solar Power International 2009, CYPRESS, USA: Mitsubishi Electric has introduced two photovoltaic (PV) inverters for the North American market: a 100kW model and a 250kW model.

This will make the company the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the North American large-scale PV inverter market. The inverters will be marketed in the United States by Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc., headquartered in Cypress, Calif.

To reduce system costs and fulfill maintenance needs for large industrial PV systems, there is not only demand from solar industry professionals for improved PV module efficiency, but also for higher efficiency PV inverters. (Inverters are an essential part of a PV system, converting DC electricity generated from solar cells into AC electricity for power grid use.)

“Solar installation companies and system integrators will benefit from our entry into the North America inverter marketplace,” says Gina Heng, general manager for Mitsubishi Electric’s Photovoltaic Division. “Now they will be able to buy both PV modules and high-efficiency inverters from the same manufacturer, making purchasing, installation and maintenance easier.”

Mitsubishi Electric recently announced the development of new technologies that will help achieve a CEC weighted efficiency rate of 97.5 percent, the highest rating in 100kW-480V PV inverters currently on the market.

Its PV inverters use the gradationally-controlled inverter technology and a transformer-less specification, which reduces voltage loss and decreases the weight of the inverter. The products are designed for indoor and outdoor use, including desert environments, areas with limited-access and other locations with severe conditions.

A prototype of the 100kW type will be on display at the Solar Power International 2009 in Anaheim, Calif., USA from October 27-29. The 100kW model is scheduled for an October 2010 launch and the 250kW model scheduled for April 2011.