Energetica India Magazine - September 2022

and 15 number of MPPTS for 250KW and 253KW respectively, the inverters provide maximum DC input which re- sults in overloading up to 200%. 30A/ MPPT input current makes it compati- ble with MONO PERC as well as bi-fa- cial modules available in the market. Growatt will bring the new product WIT 50-100KTL3-H/A, the commer- cial hybrid inverter to cover India’s energy storage market for C&I applica- tions. This new product features scal- able system configuration up to 300kW, EPS function and black start, 100% unbalanced load when backup and 110% continuous AC overloading ca- pacity, remote control of DG, multiple MPPTs input, and grid-support. Q Growatt has been recognized by IHS Markit as the top residential inverter supplier globally for two years in a row. What kind of responsibility such recognition brings with itself ? Shantanu Sirsath: To be a market lead- er and be able to sustain it every year is a huge responsibility and honor for Growatt, which also clearly shows the acceptance of our products by glob- al customers. It can only be achieved through a strong network of distribu- tion, marketing, sales and service team to provide timely support from the time of technical evaluation to instal- lation. With Growatt presence in more than 150 countries and 34 branch offic - es, we are always here to support our customers 24*7, which differentiates Growatt from competitors. Q As the Indian solar market is growing with speed now, what kind energetica INDIA- September_2022 51 INTERVIEW of technological shift you have seen since the beginning? What changes do you find in customers’ requirements and mindsets? Shantanu Sirsath: A major factor in so- lar, which has led to the advancement in inverters, is the increasing focus on BOS. Inverters’ rating has seen an upward trend such as increasing from 5kW up to 125kW for the C&I segment due to technological advancement in the semiconductor field. In addition, inverters are now more smarter with the integration of AI and this helps to reduce the overall operation and main- tenance cost considerably. As for customers, they have also evolved and been looking for a more reliable in- verter that will suffice the requirement for 25 years for the whole life cycle in- stead of just negotiating on price. Q In this new era, what kind of chal- lenges and opportunities do you find in the Indian solar market? Shantanu Sirsath: Innovations in solar technology provides more accessible energy efficient results and can help expand the business. However, despite the efforts, there are various challenges that India needs to tackle. Challenges - 1) High manufacturing cost - most of the premium equipment required needs to be imported. 2) Availability of Land - lack of space to install utility-scale solar systems. Surely, it may bring a big opportunity for distributed PV system demands in the future. 3) The intermittent and volatile nature of solar energy makes it difficult to completely be dependent on a dedicat- ed load. Opportunities- 1) India, lying in the tropical belt, has the advantage of receiving this clean, renewable and sustainable solar energy for 300 to 330 days every year and can easily generate 5000 trillion kilowatt hours per year of solar energy. 2) Solar industry is now technology proven and requires very less operation and maintenance costs. 3) As Government has set an ambitious target of 500GW, which has opened up many opportunities for investment. Growatt is happy to take part in the Indian industry development and em- brace both the challenges and oppor- tunities. We’re on going to deploy the local manufacturing footprint in India, and further, enhance our leading mar- ket position for distributed PV as well as continuously grow in the ground utility segment.