Can you briefly outline KOSTAL's product portfolio?
KOSTAL Solar Electric was founded in Germany in 2006 and is a provider of power electronics for private and commercial photovoltaic systems. In addition to inverters, the product portfolio also includes a wall box, energy meters and planning and monitoring software. We are represented in Poland with our entire range.
How is Kostal positioned in the Polish photovoltaic market?
On the one hand, KOSTAL has established its own production facility in Poland. The KOSTAL plant near Lublin produces PV power electronics in series and pre-series, which are intended for our photovoltaic products on the European market.
Also of interest: Dariusz Borowiec of K2 Systems Poland: "The overall package makes the difference"
What is the second aspect of KOSTAL market activity in Poland?
It is the unique PV hybrid inverter concept of KOSTAL. It makes it easier for Polish customers to get started with photovoltaics. With a KOSTAL battery inverter customers can switch from a PV system without electricity storage to a system with electricity storage at any time just with a code.
Can you briefly explain how exactly the switchover works?
Customers who are getting into photovoltaics and initially install a system without a power storage unit can buy, install and operate our battery inverters as standard inverters at a very reasonable price. If system operators decide to install a power storage unit after months or years, they can buy an activation code from us. Then they have a complete battery inverter that can be combined with all energy solutions such as heat pumps, batteries and smart home applications.
Where do you see the advantages in the market?
In this way, we are lowering the entry barrier for the power storage sector, which has advantages, especially in a young market and price-sensitive environment.
Also of interest: Poland takes the lead in pushing the Eastern markets
Which products do you offer on the Polish market?
For private customers, we offer the inverter models already described, which can be activated as hybrid inverters at any time. For commercial customers, we offer the PIKO CI series for PV systems with a peak output of 100 kilowatts or more. In addition, we also offer the entire periphery in Poland such as planning tools, monitoring and energy management system.
How satisfied are you with the current market situation in Poland?
Although we are experiencing a challenging environment for small photovoltaic systems in the Polish market compared to previous years, we still have many good reasons to be positive about the Polish photovoltaic market in the future. Due to the general focus of the EU on alternative forms of heating systems, the market for residential systems will stabilize again in the future.
Also of interest: Central & Eastern Europe: Utility-scale storage market set to increase fivefold by 2030
What developments do you expect in the Polish market in the next 12 months?
Poland is one of the few countries in Europe that supports the photovoltaic market with various programs and generous subsidies. The "Moje Prąd" (My Electricity) program is one of them and supports installations of photovoltaic systems for single-family homes, agriculture and small businesses with low-interest loans and a budget of around 93.7 million euros.
How do you assess the Polish market in the long term?
Polish authorities are talking about 20 GW of photovoltaic capacity that can be newly connected to the grid in the next 10 years. With a combination of intelligent subsidies and continuously rising electricity costs for grid electricity, considerable growth in photovoltaics in Poland cannot be prevented. A key prerequisite for sustainable growth of the photovoltaic market is, of course, the modernization of the Polish electricity grid.
Also of interest: Michal Marona of SolarEdge: „A market with lots of potential“
Interview by Manfred Gorgus
