As we enter another month of quarantine and isolation to thwart the progress of Covid-19, it may seem like a bygone era when we could skip around the world freely, stopping in to visit whomever we liked. Those were the halcyon days of early December 2019 when pv magazine made its first stop on its annual China Road Trip to meet high-growth PV manufacturer Growatt in Shenzhen.
Growatt started as a promising inverter startup in Shenzen where its rapid expansion was recognised by Sequoia Capital, the Silicon Valley stepping in as a strategic investor. Since its founding, Growatt has supplied over 12 GW of mostly residential inverters to over 100 countries, including Australia, where the company has just been awarded the Top Brand PV Seal by EuPD Research.
The Top Band PV Seal Award recognises Growatt’s leading position in Australia’s inverter market, taking into account reliability, market penetration, brand awareness, satisfaction etc.
Of course, Growatt’s success hasn’t occurred overnight; after all, overnight successes tend only to last until the night is over. Since the company established its first office in Australia in 2010 the company rapidly became the largest Chinese exporter of inverters to Australia. Within a year, Growatt had captured 23% of Australia’s Chinese export market. By 2018, approximately 10% of Australia’s two million installed rooftop systems incorporated a Growatt inverter solution.
In 2016, when China shifted its focus from exports to the construction of a strong domestic PV market, Growatt moved unflinchingly to establish itself as the top domestic residential inverter supplier in China. In Shenzen, Growatt founder, chairman and president Yong Qiang Ding told pv magazine that Growatt managed to achieve that 30% market share in that same year.
Whatever can be said about Growatt, what could never be said is that it is a company daunted on the verge of action. Quite the opposite, Growatt has proven itself a proactive venture. This is true of its latest PV solutions to be released in Australia as well. The MIN 2500-6000TL-XH is a battery ready inverter that may seem a bit on the expensive side at first, but will help to reduce the costs of a PV storage system in the long run. Moreover, the XH series is less costly than other hybrid inverters.
Now, as we stare down the barrel of an April indoors, many of us will be thinking back fondly to the places and people we’ve met around the world and wondering when we will see them again. In the meantime, Growatt and pv magazine will continue with a hopeful eye to the next China Road Trip.
