Enphase Energy, which was established in 2006, has long been considered as the top producer of microinverters worldwide. Enphase, a US-based company, introduced the first microinverter, the M175, in 2008, but sales didn’t really take off until the M190, a newer model, was introduced in 2009. Since then, Enphase has become a market leader in North America for microinverter technology and has a sizable market share. Compared to other regions, sales in Europe and Australia have been low, but they are now increasing as installers and consumers alike become aware of the many advantages of microinverters.

Founded in 1945 in Austria by Günter Fronius, Fronius is a European corporation. In 1995, Fronius introduced its first grid-connected solar inverter. The engineering, design, and manufacturing of every Fronius solar inverter takes place in Austria. Ever since the advent of the ground-breaking snap-in design in 2012, Fronius Inverters have held onto the top rank for the most of the past eight years. Due to their demonstrated performance & dependability as well as the excellent service provided by the Fronius support staff in Melbourne, these Austrian-made inverters have established themselves as the inverter of choice for many residential and commercial solar projects.

Goodwe has developed a reputation as one of the top Chinese inverter manufacturers over the past ten years, and some people in the solar business even think that it can compete with certain well-known European inverter manufacturers. In 2012, Goodwe, then Jiangsu Goodwe Power Supply Technology Co Ltd, joined the fiercely competitive Australian solar sector. Early Goodwe inverters were only available in a few types, but the firm today provides a wide selection of inverters for homes, businesses, and utilities, as well as several energy storage solutions, and has sold more than 2 million inverters worldwide. Following this success, Goodwe began offering specialised inverter solutions to a number of well-known businesses, including GE and LG energy. Melbourne is home to the regional office.

When Growatt New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. (also known as Growatt) first joined the solar inverter business in 2010, it was already one of the biggest inverter producers in the world. The manufacturing facility is in Shenzhen, China, and the company has offices abroad in the US, Germany, and the UK. Second-generation entry-level solar inverters from Growatt have received favourable reviews for their affordability, dependability, and quality. In addition to its existing office in Sydney, Growatt has now opened a new location in Melbourne.

Huawei, a major player in Chinese communications, entered the household solar industry in 2015 with a portable, feature-packed solar inverter. The popular LG chem RESUH battery is compatible with the built-in “high voltage” DC coupling battery interface used by Huawei inverters. In the world market for solar panels, Huawei is well-established. IHS Markit and Wood Mackenzie have both published statistics stating that Huawei has held the top spot for worldwide inverter shipping for five years running starting in 2016, accounting for 23% of the global market in 2020. It’s interesting to note that they only produce string solar inverters, never central inverters, and they think string technology is preferable since it offers better monitoring and less expensive maintenance.

German-based SMA Solar Technology AG specialises in creating and distributing solar energy technology. A group from the University of Kassel launched the business in 1981, and it has since expanded to include 3,000 workers and more than AU$1 billion in annual revenue. Before the Fronius snap-in series overtook SMA Solar Technologies in 2016, the German company was largely considered as the finest string inverter producer. Excellent local service and support are available from SMA in Sydney, and an optional 10- to 20-year extended warranty is offered.

After the Chinese electronics behemoths Sungrow and Huawei, SolarEdge Technologies, a company that was founded in 2006, is presently regarded as the third-largest inverter maker worldwide. The Israeli-based firm also offers a variety of optimisers and smart energy solutions. It offers a wide selection of inverters for residential, commercial, and small utility-scale solar projects. Australia, the United States, and other countries are adopting SolarEdge inverters with increasing frequency. Unlike other inverter manufacturers, SolarEdge creates what it calls “intelligent inverter systems” that use power optimizers to enhance power output at the individual panel level rather than the more typical string solar inverters. Melbourne is home to the regional office.

Sungrow, a top Chinese inverter producer and one of the world’s largest providers of solar inverters, was established in 1997 by a university professor. With a nett value of $1.5 billion, the Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ltd. is currently the second-largest inverter producer in the world after Huawei. It focuses on R&D, production, and services for power supply systems for wind energy, energy storage, and all types of solar PV power systems. As of June 2019, this dedication had generated more than 1,600 patent applications. Sungrow joined the Australian market in 2012 and claims to have a 15% market share for inverters.