The new production line for ABB’s central inverter PVS800 product range was opened at the ABB facilities in Bangalore, India at the end of 2012. The production capacity of the line is more than 500 MW annually.

The Indian PV market is one of the most rapidly growing solar power markets in the world. The long-term commitment of the Indian government to developing a sound and healthy PV market makes it reasonable for ABB to expand production: “With this new production facility we can support our customers in India with even more rapid delivery times and provide faster support for varying project needs,” says Antti Suontausta, ABB’s global product group manager for renewable energy power converters.

Since the end of 2011, over 100 MW of ABB central inverters have been installed in India, reports the company. After the latest orders, the installed base of ABB central inverters in India will increase. The biggest single plant to use ABB central inverters will now be approximately 60 MW, and is run by one of the key EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractors in India.

The ABB central inverter series, rated from 100 to 630 kW, is designed for multi-megawatt PV power plants as well as large PV installations on commercial and industrial buildings. The inverter series is based on ABB’s frequency converter platform. This platform already has global sales of well over 100 GW over the last ten years. In India alone, this means approximately 7 GW of already-installed capacity.