Bryan Wagner, James Oswald, Anton Patton: 3-Phase String Innovation with CPS America EP136

Welcome to the Clean Power Hour! Today we celebrate Chint Product Innovation Day with Bryan Wagner, President; James Oswald, Service Director; and Anton Patton, Products and Applications Engineering Director. Central inverters have dominated the large-scale PV market as far back as the 1980s. But with recent innovations in semiconductor technology, high-power three-phase string inverters are now a viable alternative for solar projects up to the gigawatt scale. As a market leader in commercial three-phase string inverters for seven of the past eight years, CPS America is positioned to facilitate the industry’s transition away from bulky, expensive central inverters toward modular string-based designs.

On this episode, we gathered at the 2023 Chint Innovation Day at CPS’ Dallas HQ to discuss how CPS is creating jobs, growing the industry, providing excellent customer service, and rolling out string inverters that are now displacing central inverters on 100 MW+ projects across North America. 

Highlights:

Managing growth - CPS has doubled its headcount in the past 18 months and will double again in the next 12-18 months;

Customer service - CPS has over 500 customers including developers, IPPs, and installers, across North America;

Their flagship 250/275 kW inverter is being installed in 100+ MW projects and the company just announced a 20% price cut on these inverters;

String inverters are the future for utility-scale solar projects;

CPS is staffing up at all three of their locations: Dallas TX (HQ), Pleasanton CA (Engineering), and Somerville NJ;

String vs. Central - string inverters are smaller, lighter, and easier to install and service; In more mature markets like Asia and Europe, string inverters have an 80 percent market share in utility-scale solar projects;

CPS products are installed in over 15,000 projects (>110,000 products installed) in North America;

Their Thailand factory is cranking out 5-6 GW of inverters per year; 

Supply chain woes, the war in Ukraine, and commodity prices of copper, steel, and aluminum impact the solar industry but CPS has over a GW of product on hand in the US. 

CPS Service - 24-hour turnaround for replacement parts;

CPS Customers and customer experience;

Solar + storage;

What future employees should know about Chint;

Solar industry growth trajectory:

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The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 6GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 275kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. Learn more at www.chintpowersystems.com