Interview with Eric Zhang, Sales Director Asia, Ginlong (Solis) Technologies Co. Ltd

We see EV segment linked with the solar co-generation as better project realization factor. Our grid tied and hybrid storage inverters has potential to make the EV charging stations financially and operationally more viable. Solar can bridge the gap of 7% extra requirement of electricity with induction of EV ecosystem, believes Eric Zhang, Sales Director Asia, Ginlong (Solis) Technologies Co. Ltd., one of the oldest and largest global string inverter specialists. In conversation with Manu Tayal, Associate Editor, Saur Energy International, Zhang shared his views on various topics including his company’s presence in India, product offerings, challenges in Indian market etc. Here’re the excerpts from that exclusive interview published in the Saur Energy International Magazine’s April 2019 edition:

Q. Tell us about Ginlong Solis’ presence in India. Number of employees, presence across key markets, sales or installations so far?

It has been more than 4 years in India. We have crossed 0.5GW shipments in India. Presently, we have 18 people out of which 9 people are dedicated to service purposes only. Service being our sole offering to gain the customer retention. Now we have 4 service warehouse located at NCR, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Q. What are your latest products available for Indian customers? How are these better than previous versions?

Our new 4G inverters use the latest Texas Instruments (TI) 2806 DSP chip, increasing CPU processing speed and PWM resolution by 1.5 times. It uses the 5th generation Infineon IGBTs, improving efficiency by 0.5-0.8%. Very soon we shall be launching 100kW- 125kW string inverters for utility segment with 1500V. These inverters are set to achieve more than 99% efficiency.

Q Are there any bottlenecks faced by the foreign inverter manufacturers (like you) in the Indian market?

Government is offering conducive and level playing field for all the players. Policy makers takes everyone in confidence while moving forward with any change or inclusions. Recently regular meeting and feedback taken by MNRE officials towards BIS framework is highly commendable.

Q. As India has varied climatic conditions, have you had to customize offerings for Indian conditions?

Our Ultra- low temperature rise technology offers reliable operation with sufficient power. All our inverters can work up-to 60 Degrees of ambient temperature. Lower internal working temperature architecture, Solis Inverters could be operated full load in high temperature. This ensures sufficient power generation, longer service of components and longer operation time of Inverter.

Q. Currently, how do you see the role of storage in the renewable sector in India? Growth rates?

Storage shall be the next revolution, catering to domestic, industrial and electrical vehicle consumers. Peak power shaving and less dependency on the DG sets are the drivers for its growth. Another important aspect for infrastructure addition from transmission line and upgradation is also not required.

Q. India set its target of 30 per cent electric vehicles by 2030. How does Ginlong Solis see the potential for itself in such a target?

We see this segment linked with the solar co-generation as better project realization factor. Our grid tied and hybrid storage inverters has potential to make the EV charging stations financially and operationally more viable. Solar can bridge the gap of 7% extra requirement of electricity with induction of EV ecosystem.

Q. How does Ginlong Solis differentiate itself from competition in the market? Have you found the market to be driven by solely price, or other parameters matter too?

Solis inverters have the competitive advantage of long-term sustainability and better reliability of the BOM components. We are using 99% of the components directly sourced from US, Germany, Japan etc.

Gradually market is moving towards technology driven approach and companies are opting for optimized solutions rather than just the price race. Consumers are aware about the total cost of ownership than just onetime CAPEX. Yet residential segment still needs considerable awareness about the quality norms needed during selection of inverters.

Q. What is the current efficiency rate of Ginlong Solis inverters?

The 4G inverters use the 5th generation Infineon IGBTs, improving efficiency by 0.5-0.8%, Increasing the switching frequency (from ~16 kHz to ~32kHz) has further improved the efficiency of the 4G Solis string inverters (99% peak efficiency, 98.7% EU Efficiency – for 60kW-4G).

This is achieved by increasing the switching frequency, reduce loss in magnetic components, reducing the heating of these components. Switching losses are further minimized by properly configuring the drive parameters.