IHS TECHNOLOGY
PV Inverter Customer Insight Survey
Cormac Gilligan, Senior Analyst
2015
IHS has been researching the global PV inverter market for over 6 years and is widely
regarded as the leading source of high quality market intelligence for this sector. This report is
conducted for PV inverter suppliers to gain knowledge and insight into the requirements and
opinions of their customers.
Actuals and Forecast
Topics Covered
• Brand & Choice of Supplier
• Inverter Choice
The survey questions are created using a combination of suggestions from consultations with
PV inverter suppliers as well as IHS’ own questions and covers a variety of topics including
buying preferences, brands, inverter choice, product features, microinverters & power
optimizers, service & warranty, inverter pricing and Chinese inverters. It is completed online
by PV inverter customers and opens from June until September to respondents from a variety
of countries and company types.
• Product Features
• Microinverters & Power Optimizers
• Future Requirements
• Service & Warranty
• Inverter Pricing
• Chinese Inverters
The survey is conducted independently and is not sponsored or instigated by any one inverter
supplier.
Company Types Analysed
• Distributors/Wholesalers
• Installaers
Number of Customers Allocating Proportion of Business to their Preferred Brand
• Integrators/EPC
• Other
100
90
% of responses
80
Key Features
70
• Over 300 Respondents Surveyed
Worldwide
60
50
• Over 70 Questions Analysed
40
• All Questions and Answers Analysed
by Country and Customer Type
30
20
• Valuable Market Intelligence to
Understand Customers’ Current and
Future Requirements
10
0
≤ 20%
21 - 40%
41 - 60%
61 - 80%
Source: IHS
81 - 99%
100%
© 2015 IHS
Deliverables
Key Issues Addressed
 What are customers’ opinions of lowcost Chinese inverters?
 What are the key factors that affect the
customer’s choice of inverter
supplier?
 What product features are desirable
when purchasing an inverter?
 What are the main reasons for
purchasing a microinverter and DCDC power optimizers?
 Which PV inverter suppliers offer the
most attractive service and warranty
plans?
 Which inverter suppliers have the
strongest brand in key regions?
 How do the requirements of installers,
integrators and distributors vary?
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© 2015 IHS
Applicable To




Inverter manufacturers
Balance of system manufacturers
Future market entrants
Installers, distributors, developers,
LLCs, Energy service providers and
Utilities
• Exel Database Containing all of the
Survey Responses and Analysis
• PowerPint Executive Summary –
Highlighting Key Findings
PV Inverter Customer Insight Survey, Cormac Gilligan
Lead Analyst
Survey Questions Analysed
Cormac Gilligan – Senior Analyst, Solar
Supply Chain
Buying Preferences
• Do you purchase direct from a manufacturer,
or from a distributor/wholesaler? Or both?
Why?
Service & Warranty
• How important is warranty and after-sales
service to you when choosing an inverter
supplier?
• Do you purchase from more than one
distributor/wholesaler or from a single
distributor/wholesaler? Why?
• How important are the following services
(offered by an inverter manufacturer)?
Cormac Gilligan is a senior analyst in the IHS
Power & Energy group. Cormac is currently
responsible for researching the PV inverter
market having published several syndicated
research reports on this industry; he is also
involved in running IHS market trackers and
customer survey report.
Prior to joining IHS PV research team, Cormac
worked as a civil engineer developing rail and
metro projects across capital cities throughout
Europe.
Before joining IHS PV group, Cormac graduated
from University College Dublin with a degree in
Engineering. Cormac is based in the company’s
headquarters in Wellingborough, UK.
About IHS
IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of
information, insight and analytics in critical
areas that shape today's business landscape.
Businesses and governments in more than 165
countries around the globe rely on the
comprehensive content, expert independent
analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to
make high-impact decisions and develop
strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has
been in business since 1959 and became a
publicly traded company on the New York Stock
Exchange
in
2005.
Headquartered
in
Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to
sustainable, profitable growth and employs
8,000 people in 31 countries around the world.
Brand & Choice of Supplier
• How many inverter brands do you use? What
are your top 3 preferred brands?
• Would you consider using only one inverter
brand in future? Why?
• What would an inverter supplier have to offer
to change it to your preferred brand?
• Which brand does your end customer most
commonly request?
Inverter Choice
• How important are the following supplier
attributes when selecting an inverter
manufacturer?
• How many MWs of string inverters will you
use/purchase this year?
• How important are the following aspects when
choosing a string inverter? Central inverter?
• What change in inverter pricing for
string/central inverters that you purchase do
you expect in the next 12 months? In the next
3 years?
Product Features
• How important is it to have monitoring &
diagnostic features for the systems you
develop? At what level do you require
monitoring diagnostics?
• What is the maximum dc input voltage that
you require from an inverter currently?
• How do you expect the maximum dc input
voltage to change in the next 1-2 years?
• What features would you like to have from
inverters that are not currently available?
Microinverters & Power Optimizers
• How many kWs of microinverters/power
optimizers will you use/purchase this year?
• What are your main reasons for
purchasing/using microinverters/power
optimizers
• Would you prefer a standalone
microinverter/DC-DC power optimizer or one
that is integrated into the panel?
technology.ihs.com
© 2015 IHS
Chinese Inverters
• What are your concerns about the quality of
Chinese inverter products?
• Do your customers ever specifically request a
Chinese brand? Which Chinese brands?