News & Views Siemens to Purchase String Inverter Business of KACO New Energy Gmbh Siemens has announced its plans to purchase the string inverter business of the KACO new energy GmbH, for an unrevealed amount. The project development and EPC activities are not part of the procurement. The closing of the deal is subject to governing sanction and estimated in the first half of 2019. KACO new energy has been managed since 1999 by Ralf Hofmann as executive manager. Since the end of 2016, the Mulfingenbased entrepreneur Gerhard Sturm joined as another associate. "With Siemens we are happy to have found a buyer where we see our technological know-how in good hands. Embedded in a strong corporate group, KACO new energy is well prepared for the challenges of the coming years”, say Ralf Hofmann, executive manager of KACO new energy, as well as Ralf Sturm
and Dr. Marc-Olaf Grumann, executive managers of the Sturm Family Office. “With this acquisition, Siemens gains access to the latest technology, while KACO new energy will benefit from the resources required to scale up. Together, we will be able to apply the technology in exciting growth segments”, explains Cedrik Neike, Managing Board Member of Siemens AG. Distributed energy, renewable energy sources and eMobility are playing an increasingly important role in the energy value chain, requiring increasing intelligence via an open and flexible ecosystem of technology, solutions and services. Siemens is supporting its customers and the society in reaching their ambitious goals for climate protection. With the complementary power electronics portfolio of KACO new energy,
Siemens is strengthening its technological leadership in the high-growth fields of decentralized energy systems and is providing corresponding benefits to customers. Jean-Christoph Heyne, Head of Siemens’ new Future Grids business, adds: “Siemens is in a strong position to succeed in technology that supports the energy and mobility transition. The acquisition of KACO new energy enhances our portfolio in attractive growth segments at the grid edge. Our new Smart Infrastructure Operating Company comes into operation on April 1, 2019 where our strengths in electrification and buildings will enable us to thrive in the market and continue to expand in the areas of decentral energy, renewables, storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.”
Sungrow crosses 3 GW of PV inverter sales in India, eyes 5 GW by 2020 The Chinese solar PV inverter manufacturer expects to touch 3.5-3.6 GW of sales by March 2019 in the country. Expanding its lineup, it plans to launch inverters for residential sector too in the second half of the current year. On the occasion to mark this feat, Yukun Hu, director, Sungrow India said that “the company aims to make India an export hub for its international business,” catering primarily to the US and the Middle East market. Sharing further plans for the Indian market, Sunil Badesra, head-business, Sungrow India said: “By March 2019, we will touch PV inverter sales to the tune of 3.5-3.6 GW in India. Going further, we have even bigger plans for
the country, and we aim to ship 5 GW by March 2020—which means addition of 2 GW in two years.” Currently, India contributes around 8-9 per cent of Sungrow’s global inverter sales. Of the 17 GW of Sungrow inverters sold globally last year, 1.5 GW were supplied in India. Expanding its lineup in India, “Sungrow plans to launch inverters for residential sector too by the second half of the current year,” added Badesra. Right now, the company offers inverters starting from 10 KW and above in India. As India becomes a core target in the PV market, last year Sungrow
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established its first non-domestic fab in India to provide customers with timely, high-quality, and localized services. With this, Sungrow aims to lead the way of integrated solar solutions in India. The 3 GW central and string inverter factory in Bengaluru, Karnataka caters to local as well as international demand www.supersmartenergy.com