Another photovoltaic manufacturer in the United States! Siemens enters the string inverter market

German technology company Siemens will start producing string inverters for solar panels at a factory in Wisconsin, USA in early 2024.

Siemens built the plant in Kenosha, and the manufacturing plant will be managed by Siemens' partner, US manufacturing company Sanmina.

The Sanmina plant will produce up to 5,200 BPTL3 string inverters per year, enough to meet the needs of 800MW of solar capacity. Each inverter has a power of 125-155kW and its efficiency is rated by the California Energy Commission at 99%.

Siemens factory produces solar inverters

The inverters can also be used for 1-1.5kV solar arrays, which Siemens noted are particularly common in distributed solar systems such as residential solar systems, so producing inverters that work for U.S. customers is a priority for Siemens.

"This new production line at the Sanmina facility demonstrates Siemens' strategic focus on best serving our U.S. customers while being a key partner in the nation's transition to a more sustainable future," said Ruth Gratzke, president of Siemens Smart Infrastructure USA.

The investments we make in communities like Kenosha and the work we’ll do in renewable infrastructure will have a critical impact on achieving our national goal of net zero emissions."

The new factory is one of many beneficiaries of last year's IRA bill to develop a resilient solar supply chain in the United States.

The IRA Act provides tax breaks for companies involved in renewable energy generation and for companies that produce the components and machinery needed for clean power generation. Such legislation has helped ease the growing costs of solar manufacturing in the United States in recent years.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, residential solar system installation prices increased 7% and commercial system commissioning prices increased 2% between the fourth quarter of 2021 and 2022. Providing tax breaks to manufacturing companies involved in the production of these systems could help ease concerns about the cost of such investments and encourage more innovation in the domestic manufacturing industry.

Brian Dula, vice president of electrification and automation at Siemens Smart Infrastructure USA, said: "According to SEIA, total U.S. solar project installations are expected to grow fivefold between 2022 and 2033, and now with the IRA tax credit, that demand will only be stronger."