According to the analyst which has published “PV Microinverters and Power Optimizer– 2014", the solar microinverter and power optimiser market will triple, rising to more than $1billion in 2018, as both established and new regions increase their adoption of the emerging technology. Worldwide market revenue for PV solar microinverters and power optimizers, collectively called module-level power electronics (MLPE), will rise at a CAGR of 27% to total $1.1 billion in 2018, up from $329 million in 2013. Although they are more costly, microinverters can in some cases harvest up to 25 percent more electricity than conventional string or central inverter devices, which convert power from multiple solar panels. “Demand for MLPE has been driven by key markets such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia,” said Cormac Gilligan, senior analyst for solar inverters at IHS. “The market has grown to more than $300 million in size, despite continued price pressure due to new entrants into the business and decreasing PV system prices. Future demand for microinverters and power optimizers is expected to be spurred by continued acceptance in mature European PV markets, such as Germany and France. However, some of the major Asian markets, like Japan and China, will generate huge opportunity in the next few years as MLPE technology begins to penetrate these markets in larger volumes.” The US is the largest region for microinverter shipments, with residential systems representing the largest market for microinverters in the region. The market leaders is US microinverter supplier, Enphase. The US is also one of the fastest-growing markets for power optimizers with shipments forecast to increase by 160 percent in 2014, as all of the leading suppliers—such as SolarEdge, Tigo and Ampt, all forecast to increase shipments. Another trend is the drop in price compared to compared to traditional inverters. Total shipments will increase to 6.6GW in 2018 as MLPE technology gains acceptance in new regions. The number of shipments to Japan is expected to increase dramatically to 7% of total installations in 2018, as increased energy yields that result from using MLPE will allow a higher return on investment (ROI). Microinverter suppliers are expected to gain Japan Electrical Safety & Environment Technology Laboratories (JET) certification in Japan in the near future, which will allow them to ship microinverters into the residential market. New suppliers continue to enter the market, for example, inverter suppliers Kaco and Delta, have released microinverter models and Maxim Integrated has developed partnerships with module suppliers in the power optimiser market. As a result of new microinverter and power optimizer suppliers entering the market and existing suppliers entering new markets, revenues of MLPE are forecast to increase 28 percent per year to reach more than $1.1 billion in 2018.

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