Germany holds 7 of the top 10 most efficient inverters in the World. Not surprising as Germany holds the top spot for photovoltaic installations with 7.74  GW’s (see graph below).  Second place goes to Italy with  3.74 GW’s installed. Below are the top ten inverters and their efficiency ratings:

1. Steca                      98.6%
2. Sunways               97.8%
3. Fronius                 97.7%
4. Diehl Ako             97.7%
5. Voltwerk              97.7%
6. SolarEdge             97.6%
7. Mastervolt           97.5%
8. Mirsibushi            97.5%
9. Solutronic             97.4%
10. Fefu                          97.4%

(This information was compiled from product data sheets).

The solar inverter market leader in terms of market share, SMA, is positioned just under the best ten companies. The difference in the claimed maximum efficiency between Steca and SMA is 1.6% .  In actual  applications, the energy losses through inverters should be considered over the 10-15 years’ lifetime and efficiency in real-life conditions.

Source: Solarbuzz Marketbuzz 2010

*Market size definition based on PV systems installed and/or delivered to site.

Sun City Solar has installed several of these inverters. If you would like further information on any of these inverters or others, visit our website.

Sunpower, an American company, sells the solar module with the highest efficiency of 19.6%.  Number three Sanyo  HIT technology combines a crystalline silicon cell with an additional amorphous silicon layer. The difference between the leader and the number 10 is 3.4%; Although a small difference, it could be relatively significant. The difference could mean you will use less space on your roof to achieve the same system power or energy yield. It also means you need less Balance Of System components such as mounting hardware. Does it  pay to use the higher efficient modules?

This ranking does not say anything about the module cost per Watt, nor about the most important concern, the cost per produced solar kWh. It could mean that a module of lower efficiency is so much cheaper that the extra cost for other system components (more frame, cables, installation work) can easily be covered by the money saved on the modules. Also, some modules perform better in real life conditions rather than in the standard test condition as mentioned on the their certified datasheet.

All but one of the  the top 10  modules are manufactured in Asia.  The number one, Sunpower, is from the US, but their cells and modules are manufactured in the Philipines.   Several well known brands did not make it into the Top-10 as most are  young and unknown brands.It will be interesting to see what market position these young companies obtain.   The future will tell as the top 10 listings  will continue to change.

Solar Power is quickly becoming competitive with new nuclear, new natural gas, and, soon, new coal. We are starting to realize grid parity in solar all with technologies available today.

It takes decades to install one nuclear power plant. Solar, a modular technology, can be produced and installed at a pace far faster than most energy technologies.

This year, the U.S. industry may install 2 gigawatts of solar. The last nuclear power plant to come online in the U.S., Watts Bar 1, has a capacity of 1.1 gigawatts — but that took 23 years to complete, not two years.

Natural gas peaker plants, which are idle most of the day are an expensive option for utilities.

Over the last few years, 153 coal plants have been abandoned, in large part due to uncertainty over environmental regulations.

So what does all this mean? It means that the notion that “solar is too expensive” doesn’t hold up anymore. When financing providers can offer a home or business owner solar electricity for less than the cost of their current services; when utilities start investing in solar themselves to reduce operating costs; and when the technology starts moving into the range of new nuclear and new coal, it’s impossible to ignore.

According to SunPower’s Tom Dinwoodie: “The cross-over has occurred.”