Solar PV installations are set on a stable growth path. Regulation and technology are the main factors enabling this positive development. Profound understanding of market requirements and installers’ preferences are key for success. KACO new energy GmbH awarded Top Brand PV in six European core markets bases on the assessment of 685 PV installers.
Bonn. Even if 2020 hit global industries on their blind spot and the implications of the pandemic forced all of us to adapt the way we run our daily businesses, we can safely state that photovoltaic installations rose significantly worldwide. And this raging positive trend is here to stay.
Germany proved to be the European solar locomotive leading the ranking based on newly installed PV capacity, as displayed in graph 1. Almost five GW were added across three segments: residential (including PV systems up to 10 kWp), commercial (10-500 kWp) and industrial (over 500 kWp). With more than two GW already being added in the first five months of 2021, it would come as no surprise if the six GW forecasted for 2021 would be realized this year.
Graph 1: Newly installed capacity by segment | Germany, Spain, Poland
Spain follows with almost three GW installed capacity last year. Comparably to 2020 large ground mounted projects will drive the overall PV growth in the Iberian country in 2021, where PV capacity is expected to grow by about 3,5 GW.
The opposite — but not less impressive — dynamic occurred in Poland, where residential systems constitute the backbone of the PV market. Installations’ growth will be further supported by prosumers in 2021, expecting 2,5 GW to be added on top of the current 3,9 GW cumulative installed capacity. Following this stable growth path, the Eastern European country will have no difficulty reaching the 14.93 GW goal set for 2025.
Graph 2: Newly installed capacity by segment | France, Switzerland, Austria
Growth in the French PV market will be secured by tenders in 2021. In fact, 700 MW will be tendered with the tenth round of the CRE program for large scale PV (above 500 kWp). Additional installations in the commercial and residential segments will allow the overall installed capacity to reach about 1,2 GW in 2021.
Also the two alpine countries will contribute to the development of the European PV solar market with about 500 MW each. Both in Austria and in Switzerland commercial PV systems account for the highest share of newly installed capacity.
What does it take to guarantee the achievement of such outstanding results?
Positive business climate is at the basis of sustainable growth. For this reason, EUPD Research constantly surveys the key market intermediaries: installers. The following graph shows which features PV installers value the most when choosing an inverter brand for their PV systems.
The results clearly exhibit that installers value quality, efficiency and guarantee conditions when they choose which inverter brands they want to utilize for their PV systems. Cheaper prices play a role only for Polish and French installers. Further, the answers of the interviews carried out in Austria and Switzerland report that compatibility with the battery storage system is taken into consideration by installers.
KACO new energy GmbH received outstanding reviews from PV installers in each of the six countries, meaning that their products and services exceeded expectations of PV installers.
Graph 3: Product features that influence the purchase decision for an inverter brand across countries
Therefore, based on the direct assessment of 685 European installation companies that took part at the yearly survey carried out by EUPD Research (Global PV Installer Monitor 2020/2021©), KACO new energy GmbH was awarded Top Brand PV in six European core markets. This certification confirms the European leadership of KACO new energy GmbH.
“We are very pleased with this distinction, in particular because it is based on the opinion of installers who use our products every day – and who have been regularly surveyed by EUPD Research for years. The fact that we scored so well in several countries confirms that we are on the right track, especially with our service and quality measures. As a ‘thank you’ for the good ratings, so to speak, we are currently launching our new 1-phase residential inverters for the European market. They are designed to be very user-friendly, which is why we are very excited to see how the new devices are received,” says Kurt Desimpeleare, CSO of KACO new energy.
“For meanwhile two decades, we have been analysing the brand performance and power of the best market participants. Due to this long-lasting and sustainable measurement of installers’ perception in the most important PV markets, we are observing an unprecedented interest in using the ‘Top Brand PV’ rating for differentiation – also and in particular from those manufacturers who were the founders of the PV industry.” comments Leo Ganz, partner at EUPD Research.
