How did Kostal fare in the inverter business in 2019?
Frank Henn: The year 2019 went very well for us. We were able to increase our turnover by more than 60 per cent compared to the previous year. This very positive development is due to a partnership-based cooperation with our customers and to technical innovation. As a company, Kostal stands for ever new, groundbreaking innovations, embodied by the solidity of a medium-sized company. At that time Kostal developed the first three-phase inverter for single-family homes, as well as the very first hybrid inverter, at that time the Piko BA which still ran on lead-gel batteries, and thus set new standards for the industry.
In efficiency tests your devices are always among the winners...
Our current hybrid inverter Plenticore plus has received several awards for its efficiency. At delivery, it is configured as a very powerful, purely solar inverter. As the first device in the industry, this inverter can be extended to hybrid inverter mode by activating a software functionality. All that is required is the purchase of an activation code to connect the battery. This flexibility in application has proven to be a huge advantage for wholesale partners, installers and end customers.
In which segments of the market are you active?
Our product portfolio has so far included inverters from 1.5 to 36 kilowatts. Our devices are mainly designed for private solar customers and for smaller commercial systems. For larger systems we are expanding our portfolio to include new inverters in the 30, 50 and 60 kilowatt performance ranges, our Piko CI. CI stands for Commercial Inverter.
On a related note:
Kostal were one of the first companies to take part in our virtual pv Guided Tours
For hybrid inverters, we now cover all outputs from 1.5 kilowatts to ten kilowatts, single-phase and three-phase. We can integrate the batteries on the DC side or install them as AC batteries with their own battery inverter, for example for retrofitting a power storage unit.
How did Kostal start into the year 2020?
The demand from our customers for our Plenticore plus continues to be very positive and more than covers our production capacities. Although we had already increased capacities by 50 per cent in 2018 and 2019. The delivery volumes from January to March were as high as if winter was not happening. Normally, the year begins more quietly. This year has started with a particular momentum and shows that a photovoltaic system in combination with storage is increasingly seen as a natural part of technical building services. This provides a boost to the entire industry
Do you distribute directly to installers or through retailers?
We distribute our inverters via specialist wholesalers and rely on their local presence, their logistical expertise and the complementary products available there. For example, the compatible BYD battery, which is in great demand in conjunction with our Plenticore. We can see this from the number of battery connections, which is currently developing very dynamically. The activities of our sales staff are also very much focused on providing support for our installers. Training for certification, webinars, joint activities on site and so on. This is precisely what lays the foundation for our market success. (mfo)
In Part 2, Frank Henn will shed more light on how Kostal has been dealing with the current global pandemic and what the future holds for the company.
Frank Henn
is a qualified high-voltage electrician. He studied electrical engineering and economics at the University of Applied Sciences in Gummersbach. His professional career began at Stiebel-Eltron, as product manager for hot water appliances. He then moved to General Electric for six years, where he was responsible for sales of industrial switchgear in Central Europe. In 2003 he joined Solarworld as the board member responsible for sales. As of November 2017 he has been in charge of the solar division at Kostal in Hagen.
The Interview was conducted by Heiko Schwarzburger.
